Paper King
by Spunky0ne
Summary: When Aizen is revealed to be heir to a lost clan, Central 46 is forced to release him to grow his clan. They do so, but rule that he must bear the heirs himself. At Aizen's request, Ichigo agrees to father the children and to be their protector, but can anyone protect them when the council sends assassins to target Aizen before the first heir is born? yaoi, mpreg...Ichigo/Aizen
1. The Rule of Law

**Paper King**

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 **Just a bit of explanation...you all know that I can't refuse a good challenge. And someone challenged me to write an Aizen pregnancy. I have to look back to remind myself who. Sorry! Anyway, this will be an Aizen/Ichigo romance where their roles will shift back and forth, but Aizen will bear the children. Lots of good parings in this, so give it a try! I think you will really enjoy it.**

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 **(In the days after the quincy war, Byakuya discovers that Aizen Sousuke is the lost heir to a legendary noble clan, and that the law requires he must be released and allowed to grow his family. Central 46 agrees to his release, on the condition that he will agree to bear his own heirs. But as he chooses Ichigo to father his children and begins to dream of a new future, the sages of Central 46 have ordered his assassination. Yaoi, mpreg...Ichigo/Aizen, Kenpachi/Byakuya, Kurushimi/Tetsuya, Bazz-B/Renji, Rukia/Orihime)**

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 **Chapter 1: The Rule of Law**

In the heart of the newly constructed meeting chamber of Central 46, the sages of the grand council reclined in plush chairs behind the crest marked wooden shields that hid their faces from the ones standing before them. The usually quiet room was alive with soft voices, echoing slightly as they sounded and giving the place an eerie feel as the men and women of the council prepared for the hastily scheduled meeting.

"Have you heard any reason why we were summoned so suddenly, Sora?" an elderly, silver-haired woman asked the younger man next to her.

"No, Arisu-san," Sora answered, "I only heard, as you did, that Kuchiki Byakuya had been to see Grand Councilor Nori and Nori called the meeting because of something Byakuya revealed to him."

A gavel crashed down and the whispers ceased as the grand councilor stood and called the meeting to order.

"Lords and ladies," Kuchiki Nori announced in a deep, booming voice, "I thank you for joining me on such short notice, but an issue of extreme importance has arisen, and it is critical that we respond immediately. To explain what has happened, I will turn the meeting over to Kuchiki Byakuya, Kuchiki clan leader and the guardian of the Kuchiki family archive. Byakuya?"

In the circular floor area below the assembled council, Byakuya entered through the chamber's main doors and proceeded past the gallery of noble family members given clearances to attend the meeting. He walked in graceful, calm steps past his sister, who stood alongside Shiba Ichigo in the gallery, then past Ichigo's cousin by marriage, the new third division taicho and Shima clan leader, Shima Kurushimi, to the podium, where he paused for a moment, looking up at the wooden shields that protected the identities of the council sages except for the grand councilor. Nori gave him a graceful nod of welcome.

"I thank all of you for responding so quickly to my message," Byakuya began, his dark grey eyes troubled as he spoke, "While examining the histories within my family's archive, I made a discovery of extreme importance that, by our laws, must be acted upon immediately. This discovery involves the identification of a lone heir to the legendary house of Daishima."

" _Daishima_!" the sage of the Yukita clan repeated emphatically, as whispers broke out among the assembled councilors, "You have identified an heir of Daishima?"

"I have," Byakuya confirmed, "with one-hundred percent certainty. I have had this person tested by sending samples of his blood and reiatsu to Urahara Kisuke, then working with him to match the markers to the Daishima's bloodline directly. Having confirmed this man's connection to the Daishima family, I have had him summoned and am ready to present him to the council."

The grand councilor took a steadying breath and placed a hand on his chest for a moment.

"Then, by all means, let him enter."

Byakuya looked back at the guards standing by the entrance to the council chamber and nodded. The men opened the door and four attendants carried in a man, heavily bound to a large, white chair. Instantly, pandemonium broke out in the room, with raised voices decrying the arrival of the prisoner. The grand councilor's gavel banged down several times before the gathered councilors regained their composure and quieted.

"Kuchiki Byakuya," Nori said sternly, "what is the meaning of this? How dare you bring this man up out of the prison without...!"

"Oh, I assure you," Byakuya stated calmly, "I acted completely within accordance of the law."

"What are you talking about, Byakuya?" the man in the chair asked, frowning, "Why did you bring me here?"

Byakuya ignored Aizen completely.

"Understand first," he went on, "I have no love for Aizen Sousuke, but I am committed to following the laws as they are written. The Daishima clan was a legendary clan with powers that would place them among the great clans. It was thought that the last Daishima heir died over three hundred years ago, yet the blood that runs in Aizen Sousuke's veins can tell no lies."

"What about his illusions?" Sora demanded angrily, "He could be somehow affecting the results of the testing!"

"Councilor Sora, is it?" Aizen said with an air of calm sarcasm, "You know very well that because of this chair and the bindings on me, I can't affect things outside of a very small radius around my body. Even if I did use my power to obscure the content of my blood and reiatsu, once removed out of that radius, it would fool no one."

"Aizen Sousuke, you have not been given leave to speak!" Nori said reprovingly, "Byakuya, please continue."

"I object!" shouted another male councilor, "Aizen Sousuke is guilty of high treason and causing a war that killed hundreds! There is no way he should be given any chance of getting free!"

"I agree!" a female councilor shouted, setting off a thunderous and chaotic bout of loud arguments.

Nori gavel crashed down.

"Order! We will have order here!" he boomed.

"I understand your objections," Byakuya assured the councilors, "And I share your concerns, but the law is clear. The king has been consulted and he agrees that the Daishima line must be revived. He has foreseen this to be of utmost importance."

"Oh please, don't tell me someone will be forced to mate with that animal!" Arisu seethed, "You won't get a mate from my clan!"

"Nor mine!" shouted another.

"Nor mine!" agreed another.

Shouts rose up in agreement all over the room. Nori banged his gavel on the table in front of him, quieting them.

"Order! This bickering is pointless," Nori said, shaking his head, "Although I am inclined to agree with all of you, you know as well as I do that if the king has seen that Aizen is an heir of Daishima and he has said we must free Aizen, then there is nothing we can do. The king's order must be obeyed."

"Nori," said a thin male voice that belonged to a sly looking, slim, middle aged man behind the shield of the Suwa clan, "may I offer an opinion?"

Nori felt a touch of annoyance and a little flinch of disgust at the thought of what the rather vulgar Suwa sage was likely to suggest, but, unable to find anyone else with something to suggest, he nodded in acceptance.

"Go ahead, Hisoka."

The Suwa sage moved the wooden shield aside and looked directly at Aizen as he answered.

"Lords and Ladies," Hisoka's smooth voice intoned, "we have some difficult facts to deal with. That is clear. But, I would suggest that we look at some factors that could actually play out in our favor."

"And what would those be?" Nori prompted him, frowning and furrowing his brow.

"Well," said Hisoka, "although it is true that Aizen is a Daishima heir and the king has ordered his release, he didn't add any particular caveats to that release order. And that leaves us, his representatives, the task of working out the details. I would suggest that we remember a few things as we prepare for his inevitable release."

"Such as...?" Nori sighed.

"Well, we know that Aizen must be released, and that as a recognized noble lord, he can't be subjected to intrusive monitoring or surveillance. We can't put limits on his powers in any direct way."

"You are suggesting that there is an indirect way to control his powers?" Nori inquired, a flicker of hope in his aged eyes.

A murmur went through the gathered sages and through the gallery beneath them.

"Yes," Hisoka informed them, smirking as he met Aizen's curious eyes, "there is a way to control Aizen Sousuke's powers, at least for a time."

Whispers broke out across the room again and Nori banged his gavel warningly.

"Go on, Hisoka."

"The laws for rebuilding a clan from one discovered heir require the heir, if able to father children, to impregnate seven concubines."

"We know this," Nori agreed, "however, I think you've seen we will have trouble finding _one_ clan that will offer even their lesser women for use by this traitor."

"Ah yes," Hisoka went on, his smile creeping more widely across his face, "But...there is a law for _those who can bear children themselves_!" he pointed out, "And, as we have learned, noble males who are descendants of the Breeder males... _or are exposed to their blood and reiatsu_ in just the right way, can bear heirs. If he can bear heirs himself, then the law says he must bear the seven children himself. While he does that, you all know that, being a breeder male, his powers will be non-functional. And they will remain non-functional until several months after each birth. To my calculation, that gives us about seven years of not worrying about him causing us grief."

Mingled laughter and angry hisses rose up and Nori banged his gavel to quiet them.

"Hisoka, you know that Aizen Sousuke isn't a Breeder male."

"No," the Suwa sage agreed, "but we do _have_ one here, don't we?"

He glanced down at Byakuya, whose eyes darkened as he glared back at the Suwa sage.

"You did bring him with you, didn't you? He never seems to be far away from you. Where is he?"

Hisoka looked around the room.

"Will you come forward, Kuchiki Tetsuya?"

Shocked whispers erupted, but quieted again as Byakuya hesitated for a moment, then looked over his shoulder and nodded briefly. Seemingly out of the shadows emerged a lovely young man with pale skin, wavy raven black hair and gemlike sapphire eyes. He moved in slow steps to Byakuya's side, keeping his eyes carefully focused straight ahead, then stopped at the podium and looked up at Hisoka silently.

"Kuchiki Tetsuya, you are a natural born Breeder Male, are you not?"

"Yes, Suwa-sama," Tetsuya replied respectfully, "I am."

"And, pardon me for asking, but it is necessary...Are you in a relationship? Promised to someone?"

Tetsuya paused, looking uncomfortably at Byakuya, whose eyes reflected deep concern as he nodded for Tetsuya to continue.

"I..." he began.

"He is promised to me," a male voice interrupted as Ichigo's handsome, caramel skinned cousin stepped forward to join Tetsuya, touching his hand in warning as Tetsuya gave him a startled look and Byakuya flinched visibly, but gave no objection. Whispers rose amongst the sages, but quickly quieted as Nori began to raise his gavel.

A short distance away in the gallery, Ichigo poked Rukia with a fingertip, earning a glare in response.

"Tetsuya's not engaged to Kuri, is he?" he whispered, "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"No, stupid!" Rukia chided him, "Don't you get it? Kuri's just protecting Tetsuya from having to be with Aizen."

"And Byakuya's letting Kuri lie in front of everyone?" Ichigo mused.

"If you were Nii-sama, would _you_ want your cousin to be forced to marry Aizen?" Rukia asked sarcastically.

"Well, him being married to Kuri is going to drive Byakuya crazy too. Kuri is pretty unconventional."

"Well, he's better than _Aizen_. And they can always quietly break up later, before there is any wedding," Rukia reasoned, "I think it was sweet of Kuri to protect my cousin."

"Right," Ichigo chuckled, looking at Kurushimi affectionately, "He's like that."

The two turned their attention back to Hisoka as Nori quieted the room and the Suwa sage continued.

"Ah, Shima Kurushimi," Hisoka said, "I see. Well, congratulations to the two of you, of course. I didn't even know you had met formally. Tetsuya is very fortunate, a half-blood being coupled with a clan leader and a taicho. It is unprecedented. Very odd it's been kept so quiet. It should have been the talk of the town."

Kuri's lips curled slightly as he answered.

"Tetsu-hana is a private person. As Byakurai's bodyguard, that is a good thing, ne?"

"Hmm," Hisoka mused disapprovingly, "That does change things. However, even if we can't marry the Breeder Male to Aizen, we can still use him."

"How do you mean?" Kurushimi said, frowning and stepping slightly in front of Tetsuya, who inhaled in surprise, looking up at Kuri's profile.

"Oh, it's nothing to fret about," Hisoka assured him, "We just need to take a vial each of his blood and reiatsu, and we can use it to alter Aizen Sousuke, so that he will become a Breeder Male."

"But creating new Breeder Males is against the law, isn't it?" Kuri asked, glancing at Tetsuya.

"The practice was banned a long time ago," Byakuya agreed, "But under the law, although it was banned, the ban can be lifted by a two-thirds vote of the council."

He glanced meaningfully at Aizen.

"And then, of course, if the council sees fit, the ban can be reinstated _after_ Aizen is exposed to my cousin's blood and reiatsu."

"Thus," Hisoka said approvingly, looking down into Aizen's now malevolent eyes, "no innocent young noble ladies need to be sacrificed and Aizen will be without his powers while he has the seven children. Any questions?"

"I have one," Aizen said smoothly, "Who is going to have the courage to attempt to impregnate me? Because, as you know, my reiatsu isn't gone. It is just pressed in around me. Anything that tries to penetrate my body... _anything_...will most certainly be lost. I am afraid you will be unable to find a man willing to risk such a vital part of himself just to deprive me of my powers for a while."

"Would you rather spend the rest of eternity in your cell down in Muken?" Hisoka inquired archly, "That's what will happen if you are not going to cooperate."

"As I've said," Byakuya interjected frowning, "By our laws, and by the king's order, Aizen must be released. Why don't you poll the councilors? We can see if there are any who would offer males or females for bonding with Aizen."

"That sounds reasonable," Nori agreed, "Who will offer daughters of their clan to act as concubines to bear the Daishima heirs?"

The room went silent and the councilors all signaled a refusal.

"Are there any of you who would offer a son to father the Daishima heirs?" Nori asked.

The room remained silent and again, the sages signaled refusal.

"You see," Aizen said calmly, "Your twisted little plan is useless. But you still have an obligation to free me. You will get nowhere with this."

"What about a compromise?" asked Sora, "I mean, if no one offers a daughter, there's nothing we can do. But if no one wants to risk a son, a man made into a Breeder Male can still cause Aizen to be impregnated by implantation of semen and reiatsu. For that matter, we could just use Kuchiki Tetsuya's semen and reiatsu, couldn't we? No one would have to be risked at all!"

Tetsuya sucked in a surprised breath, paling as he moved closer to Kuri and the Shima leader placed a protective arm around him.

"You will not force anything like that on my fiancé!" he shouted, "You are not touching him of by kami, you will have to deal with me! It is bad enough that he already has to give blood and reiatsu. Making him the father would require him to have bonding sessions to stabilize the forces within Aizen's body as the children's reiatsu matures. I will not tolerate him being forced to endure that!"

Byakuya flinched again and Rukia covered her mouth in surprise at Kuri's outburst.

"He's really pouring it on thick," she mused, "It's really sweet."

"Except that they're not actually engaged," Ichigo snickered.

Arguments broke out all over the room and Nori banged his gavel repeatedly until order was restored. He started to speak, but went silent again as Aizen's voice sounded.

"There is someone I would allow to impregnate me," he offered, making the gathered sages stare in surprise and making Ichigo's curious eyes turn in his direction, "Does that shock you? It shouldn't. You know that Muken is not a pleasant place, and I would like very much to escape it. However, escape is useless if I am only escaping so that I can be murdered by someone seeking revenge. As you know, when I assisted Kurosaki Ichigo in slaying the quincy king, I sacrificed the hogyoku to make it possible to do that. I am no longer immortal, and so, I will tell you that if the person I choose is willing, I will allow myself to be impregnated under a few very reasonable conditions."

Aizen's head turned slightly, to better meet Ichigo's more darkly curious eyes.

"And those are?" Nori asked warily.

"First," Aizen explained, "I want protection. The Daishima heirs need to be protected and if I am powerless, I will be unable to offer them that. Luckily for you, the person I have chosen to allow for this can also offer me adequate protection, and I think he will, given his nature."

"Very well," said Nori, it seems that protection is covered. What else?"

"Secondly," Aizen continued, "I require as an heir to the Daishima family, that all funds and properties in guardianship for the family be returned to me."

Next to Aizen, Byakuya nodded in acceptance.

"The deeds to their properties, as well as family heirlooms and items of historical interest are stored in the Kuchiki archive. I will have them transferred to you as soon as you are released and choose which property you wish to occupy."

"But getting back to the matter of reviving your clan, who is it that you will allow to...do this?" asked Nori, "After all, if the one you would allow refuses, we are still stuck."

"My choice is a logical one," Aizen said quietly, meeting Ichigo's strangely expectant eyes directly, "There is only one person who deserves to touch me, and that is the one who defeated me...Kurosaki Ichigo."

The room erupted into pandemonium, requiring several minutes to be brought back into order. Nori's gavel crashed into the table in front of him and his voice boomed across the room. As the chaos went on around them, Ichigo moved forward, passing by Byakuya and coming to stand in front of the bound prisoner. He looked into Aizen's brown eyes with surprising calm. The sages, noting Ichigo's unusual reaction, quieted again and watched raptly.

Aizen smiled at Ichigo.

"It's been a while," he commented, "How have you been, Ichigo?"

"You can visit later," Nori said shortly, "Shiba Ichigo, what do you say to Aizen Sousuke's proposal? If we alter him to be able to bear children, will you agree to father the Daishima heirs? I think that the council will agree that you don't have to marry him. Will you just father the heirs?"

Ichigo stood silently for several minutes, gazing into Aizen's calm eyes, his thoughts unreadable although his expression remained carefully composed. Finally, he turned to face the Central 46 sages.

"Yes," he stated, matter-of-factly, "I will father the Daishima heirs...and I will protect them...and Aizen Sousuke."


	2. Terms of Release

**Chapter 2: Terms of Release**

 **(My deepest gratitude to everyone following fave-ing and reviewing. I have to save shout outs for chapter 3, because I am snowbound and my Internet keeps crashing. I will also edit any errors before then, once I get out of this lovely haven I'm in and brave the snow in my trusty sports car driving home between storms. Wish me luck! It has been a wonderful, dreamy vacation, here where the snow was falling! Loved every minute! Going to publish now. Crossing my fingers it will go through!)**

"So...I am to be released now?" Aizen said, looking up at the troubled face of the aged grand councilor, "I have agreed to bear the Daishima heirs, and I do have someone right here who has said he is willing to father the heirs."

Nori glared down at the still-bound prisoner.

"Not so fast, Aizen," he said reprovingly, "Your release is completely contingent on you..."

"I have agreed to have the heirs," Aizen repeated, "I can't do that until I am out of this chair."

Silence!" Nori snapped, pointing his gavel at Aizen, "Before you can be released, you have to be altered to be able to bear the children, and before safety restrictions are completely lifted, you must prove your viability by having the first heir."

Aizen frowned.

"You mean to have me endure a pregnancy while still incarcerated in Muken? I don't think that will be possible, as I will need to be well fed and regularly infused with Ichigo's reiatsu to stabilize the child's. Isn't that how the Breeder ability works?" Aizen asked, glancing at Tetsuya, who lowered his eyes to avoid Aizen's gaze.

"To our knowledge, that is how the ability works," Nori confirmed, "So, your release will occur in stages. We will release you from the chair once your body has been altered and you have proven the ability to conceive by conceiving the heir here, in a private chamber."

"That doesn't give us much time for mental preparation, does it?" Aizen mused, smirking at Ichigo, who gave him a stony look in response, "Do you even know how the impregnation occurs?"

Nori paused, glancing around for a moment as the other sages remained silent, then he looked down at Tetsuya.

"Tetsuya, I am aware that you were impregnated once, through your Breeder ability. Will you explain to us how your were impregnated and what the requirements are for conception and safe delivery?"

Tetsuya took a steadying breath. Despite his usually stern demeanor, Kuchiki Nori's expression softened.

"I know that, sadly, you lost the child you were carrying," he said more kindly, "but you can certainly tell us about the conception and stabilizing ritual, can't you?"

"Yes," Tetsuya agreed, "My husband, Naoki, who was my cellmate in Itamigiri, made love to me several times in one night. To my understanding, the first intercourse primed my body to prepare for pregnancy and the second seeded my body. My husband's seed and reiatsu was drawn to a chamber that formed after the priming, and it mixed with my reiatsu in the chamber to form a new reiatsu that was our child's. After impregnation, I experienced increased hunger, nausea, vomiting and reiatsu drops, during which I needed Naoki to infuse my body with his reiatsu to stabilize mine. Another person could have done the same infusion, but it works most effectively if it is the father's reiatsu, because it is more compatible with the child's."

"Thank you. And do you know how long the gestation period would have been if you had carried your child to full term?" Nori asked.

"I was told by the prison healer that full gestation would take about six months, during which I would have symptoms similar to a pregnant woman, but although my abdomen would not get as large, due to the child remaining in reiatsu form until the birth, my other symptoms could be much stronger because of me being male and less suited to childbearing than a female. The onset of symptoms was faster because of the changes caused by the formation of the spirit chamber to carry the child's reiatsu."

"Again, thank you," Nori said, nodding, "Now, if you will go on to the prison infirmary, a healer will be with you to draw some blood and reiatsu."

Tetsuya paled and took a step back, bumping into Kurushimi, who placed his hands on Tetsuya's shoulders to steady him.

"I...I c-can't," Tetsuya stammered.

"My boy, are you all right?" Nori asked, looking genuinely concerned.

"At the p-prison," Tetsuya managed, "we were t-taken to the infirmary f-for experimentation."

He swayed and his eyes began to glaze over. Kuri's arms wrapped around him and he lifted the younger Kuchiki into his arms as Tetsuya lost consciousness.

 _Dios mìo_ Kuri mused inwardly, looking down at Tetsuya's tormented expression, _What must you have endured in that prison to be so afraid just to enter an infirmary?_

"Tetsuya suffers from post traumatic stress and will need to be taken to a comfortable room to recover," Byakuya explained quickly, "I will..."

"You are still needed here," Kuri reminded him, "Please, allow me to care for my fiancé."

Byakuya bristled and nodded stiffly.

"Very well. I will come and see him when this meeting is finished."

Byakuya watched silently as Kuri carried Tetsuya out of the meeting chamber, then he turned back to face the council as Nori met Aizen's gaze and continued.

"Guards, you will please remove the prisoner to a holding cell where he will meet with the healers who will be overseeing his alteration."

"Are you sure they are going to know what they are doing?" Aizen asked quietly, "It doesn't seem like any of you knows very much about this procedure. You wouldn't want to make an unfortunate mistake and kill me before I can revive the Daishima clan."

"I am having the necessary records from the Kuchiki archive brought," Byakuya explained, "and our own healer will come to perform the procedure, to ensure it has the highest chances of success. I assure you, whatever my personal feelings about you are, I understand and respect the importance of the Daishima bloodline."

"Of course you would," Aizen said smoothly, "being in possession of the full histories of the Seireitei and noble clans, you are best equipped. Add to that your respect for the law, and while you may be a reluctant ally, you are one of the few who could inspire my trust."

"A dubious honor," Byakuya commented dryly.

"I think we've done enough talking," Nori concluded, "Guards, remove Aizen Sousuke to a holding cell. He is not to be unbound until the procedure is completed and there is a confirmation of the conception."

"And just how am I supposed to be impregnated while tied to this chair?" Aizen mused.

"You cannot be freed outside of Muken until after the first heir is conceived."

Aizen gave the grand councilor a look of amusement.

"So...the Daishima heir will arise from someplace akin to the depths of hell itself?" he chuckled, "That's both insane and shockingly appropriate, isn't it? But do you think Ichigo will approve of us being forced to have our first sexual joining in that dreadful, icy, black place?"

"We aren't talking about a first date," Ichigo said suddenly, his voice low and carefully controlled, "If it's required to keep people safe from you, I'll agree to make the first heir with you in Muken."

Aizen cast a curious eye on him.

"Something about you is different these days, Kurosaki Ichigo," he commented, "It's not as simple as you having matured, I would say you have been marked permanently by what happened to you in the royal realm, haven't you?"

"I think that's true for all of us, don't you?" Ichigo answered cryptically, "But the fact is, we were all protecting Soul Society, even you. I'm going to keep on protecting Soul Society, whatever I have to do to accomplish that...including making the Daishima heir in Muken, if that's what has to be done."

"How very admirable," Aizen said, smirking, "As usual, your commitment to your principles is steadfast. I can't help but respect that."

Aizen held Ichigo's gaze as the guards lifted the chair and headed for the chamber exit.

"I will see you soon, Kurosaki Ichigo," he said in parting.

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya stirred sluggishly and opened his eyes to fond himself lying on a comfortable sofa in what appeared to be a councilor's office, with Shima Kurushimi sitting quietly at his side. His eyes scanned the room, taking in the Kuchiki family crest displayed on the paneled wall and the familiar faces in the pictures on the councilor's desk.

"This is Grand Councilor Nori's office?" he surmised, "I thought that I was to be taken to the infirmary. Are they done already?"

"We are waiting for the arrival of your own family healers," the Shima leader informed him, "Since the grand councilor is also one of your relatives, he gave permission for us to have the blood and reiatsu drawn here, where you would be more comfortable."

"I feel kind of silly, having fainted at just the mention of being required to go to an infirmary, but..."

"Itamigiri was an unholy place," Kuri said matter-of-factly, "You shouldn't feel bad that the memory of its horrors are still with you, Tetsu-hana."

Tetsuya blinked in confusion at the alteration of his name.

"It's Tetsuya," he corrected the Shima leader.

"Not to me," Kuri said, giving him an engaging smile, "I make nicknames for everyone. I would especially do so for my very lovely fiancé."

Tetsuya blushed.

"S-so, do you really intend to marry me?" he asked curiously.

"Well, I made a public declaration in front of the representatives of every known clan," Kuri chuckled, "That is about as official as a noble engagement announcement gets, ne?"

"But you don't even know me," Tetsuya reasoned, "You've never even actually seen me before, have you?"

"I haven't," Kuri agreed, "although I have sensed you near Byakurai many times. Still, if we don't at least go through the motions of a courtship, you know I will be punished by the council for perjuring myself to protect you. They don't have the horrible punishments you were subjected to, but there would be unpleasantness for my family, and we already have a dubious reputation for being an... _unconventional_ clan."

"I don't want you to get into trouble for protecting me," Tetsuya concluded, "I appreciate you doing that so I wouldn't have to be with Aizen Sousuke, myself. I will go along with the engagement so that you won't be punished."

Kuri nodded approvingly.

"And who knows," he said, smiling charmingly, "maybe as we get to know each other, we could be content to be married after all."

"You're teasing me," Tetsuya laughed, his blush deepening, "A clan leader and a half-blood?"

"Your own cousin married a commoner."

"You did also," Tetsuya remembered.

Kuri's smile wavered.

"Yes, I did," he agreed, "so it shouldn't really come as a surprise I would find beauty where other did not see it, Tetsu-hana."

He started to say more, then paused as a young man with black hair and green eyes, dressed in the uniform of the Central 46 healers, entered the room. He smiled politely at the two.

"Greetings, I am Haro," he introduced himself, "I've been ordered by the council to bring word to you that your clan healers will arrive shortly, and to prepare you for the drawing of your blood and reiatsu...if you don't mind."

"Oh, it's fine," Tetsuya assured him, "It was the thought of the infirmary that made me react as I did."

Haro smiled kindly as he took Tetsuya's arm and quickly prepared a small area with antiseptic.

"This won't hurt really...just a small pinch."

Tetsuya nodded and remained relaxed as the healer slipped a small needle beneath his skin and attached a small bit of tubing.

"That's all there is to do," Haro said, withdrawing his hands, "Just wait here for your healers. It shouldn't be much longer."

"Thank you," Tetsuya answered turning his attention back to Kuri as the healer left, "I'm really glad this will be over soon."

"I could tell that you didn't enjoy being the center of attention," Kuri concluded, "You are a quiet, private person."

"It's not just that I'm a half blood and those councilors disapprove of me for it. There is a stigma associated with being a natural born Breeder Male."

"The Breeder Males were made when the first war with the quincies claimed so many of the noble women, our very existence was threatened," Kuri remembered.

Tetsuya ran his hands over his sweating face, shivering as a feeling like ice passed through his insides and he felt a soft burning at the injection site on his arm.

"Yes," he agreed, "Byakuya-sama showed me the records stored in our archive. At the time, the leaders and elders who survived the war were grateful for their willingness to be changed to serve their families. But as the numbers grew again, and it was discovered that some of the males born of those men were natural Breeder Males, the elders became concerned that they were a threat to the place of women in the noble clans and should be discouraged from using their Breeder abilities anymore. Then...a group of vigilantes who didn't approve of the Breeder Males initiated attacks on them, killing many of them and forcing the rest to hide what they were for their own protection. Something that was sealed in the clan records, but not revealed openly was that my father wasn't executed in the prison, just because he married a commoner. He was killed because they found out he had the Breeder ability when he was raped as part of his torments. They killed him, and they would have killed me too, once they knew I had inherited the ability. I was too young to be assessed at the time, but when I came of age for the guards to begin abusing me sexually, I became pregnant by my cellmate and we hid it for as long as we could."

"Ah yes, I remember how you were injured in the raid that freed you from the prison and lost your husband and child. I am sorry, Tetsu-hana."

Tetsuya made a sound of discomfort as a throbbing began behind his eyes and the burning in his arm increased.

"Tetsu-hana?" Kuri inquired, frowning.

Tetsuya looked down at the needle inserted in his arm, and his eyes widened in realization. He pulled the needle out and stared at it in surprise and horror.

"Tetsu-hana!" Kuri exclaimed.

"It's poison!" Tetsuya exclaimed, staggering to his feet and stumbling to where his weapon leaned against Nori's desk.

He pulled the weapon free as Kuri rushed to his side, then he gave the command for the weapon's release and added a second, quick order.

"Shussui!" he panted, staring at a redness around the injection site on his arm.

"Lie down. I will get help!" Kuri said, charging out of the room as Tetsuya sat down on the sofa, still staring at the offending needle. A moment later, Kuri returned to the room with Byakuya, Nori and an aged Kuchiki clan healer.

"What happened, Tetsuya?" Byakuya asked swiftly.

"A...a healer, a council healer named Haro came into the room and said he was sent to prepare me for the blood and reiatsu draw. He was dressed in a council healer's uniform."

Nori shook his head firmly as the Kuchiki clan healer sat down beside Tetsuya and quickly examined the injection site.

"There is no healer on our staff named Haro, and there was no order for anyone to touch you."

"We need to find that healer!" Byakuya said angrily.

"Byakuya-sama," the old healer said, "We must put that aside and act now if we want Tetsuya-san to survive!"

"What kind of poison is it?" Byakuya demanded.

"It is one that breaks down the cells and spirit particles in the body. Tetsuya-san used his ability to slow the absorption of the compound into his blood, but that won't stop it...and neither can I!"

Byakuya stared back at him in stunned silence.

"Byakuya-sama, if we do not find a way to stop it, Tetsuya-san's body will be eaten away from the inside!"

Byakuya stared helplessly at Tetsuya, his mind racing and grabbing at the first viable possibility that occurred to him.

"The human girl, Orihime?" he inquired, "Could she reject it?"

"I am not sure," the clan healer admitted, "but I _am_ sure that I don't know a way to stop this poison. Someone wanted very badly to make sure that Tetsuya-san could not be used to assist in altering Aizen Sousuke!"

Byakuya summoned a hell butterfly and whispered instructions to it, then sent it winging away.

"We are taking Tetsu-hana to Karakura Town?" Kuri asked, starting towards Tetsuya.

Byakuya extended a hand, stopping him.

"You saw the imposter," he said stridently, " _Find him_!"

Byakuya placed an arm around Tetsuya and helped him onto shaky legs as Kuri charged out of the office. He led his cousin out of the office and through the Central 46 compound, frowning as Tetsuya stumbled and started to fall, and sweeping him up. He carried Tetsuya outside to where a tall black Arabian stallion stood waiting.

"Arashi," Byakuya addressed the horse, "we must get Tetsuya to Urahara's shop as quickly as possible. He's been poisoned!"

The stallion snorted and stamped a foot as Byakuya placed Tetsuya on his back, then climbed up after. He held Tetsuya against him and touched his heels to the stallion's sides. Arashi charged forward, heading into the senkaimon Byakuya opened and following the path to Karakura Town.

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen Sousuke smiled as the door to his holding cell opened and Ichigo stepped inside. He walked to a chair set in front of the prisoner and sat down.

"Finally, a little alone time," Aizen joked, "I suppose they will be in soon to inject me with Kuchiki Tetsuya's genetic material?"

"That's what I was told," Ichigo confirmed, "They should be in soon."

"And you came to see me alone?" Aizen mused, "Why?"

Ichigo gazed at him in silence for a time, then sighed softly.

"I want to tell you, I'm not doing this out of pity or sympathy, and I don't feel anything for you romantically. I just..."

He paused, struggling for words. Aizen observed him quietly and gave a nod of acceptance.

"It's fine," he assured the younger man, "You don't have to explain to me. After all, I was there too, Ichigo. When we joined our powers to overcome Ywach, the same thing that happened in your mind, happened also in mine."

"You...saw into my past?" Ichigo mused, "I mean, I figured, but we didn't talk about it."

Aizen considered his words carefully.

"I don't think what I saw of your past was anything near as shocking as what you saw in mine. I am sure it damaged you."

"I'm not damaged," Ichigo said in a low, controlled voice.

"But you are," Aizen insisted, "Look at you. You are in emotional pain, Ichigo, because of the horrors that I was subjected to by Central 46 when I was a child."

"Th-that doesn't..."

"No, it doesn't make me any less of a monster, but it does say something about the people you protected in the war...the ones you're protecting from me by doing this."

"Let me make this clear," Ichigo said angrily, "I was protecting my friends and my family...and that meant protecting Soul Society. So yeah, I protected Central 46's councilors too. And they aren't the ones who ordered what happened to you."

"No, I killed all of them," Aizen said in a soft, icy tone, "painfully. They murdered my family, Ichigo, and they tortured me. They were going to have me killed because they couldn't control my power. And they did all of this behind a cloak of lies. No one knows what happened back then except for you and me. Everything...every shred of evidence...was destroyed."

"Unfortunately," Ichigo reminded him, "when you killed all of the councilors, you also eliminated the only witnesses."

"Yes," Aizen agreed, "but it's not like any of them would have ever told the truth. They got what they deserved, Ichigo."

"I'm not saying what they did wasn't hideous, but I don't think killing them was the answer."

"Is that right?" Aizen asked, meeting Ichigo's troubled eyes skeptically, "Then, what should I have done?"

Before Ichigo could answer, the door to the holding room slammed open and a group of guards charged into the room.

"What's going on?" Ichigo demanded, "Did something happen?"

"Ichigo, are you and Aizen Sousuke all right?" Grand Councilor Nori asked urgently as he followed the guards into the room.

"Yeah, we're fine," Ichigo assured him, "Why? What's going on?"

"An attempt was just made on Kuchiki Tetsuya's life," Nori reported in a stricken voice, "He has been poisoned and is in grave condtion. Byakuya has rushed him to Karakura Town to seek healing for him from Inoue Orihime. I am afraid that if the human girl cannot help him, Tetsuya's body is going to break down and disintegrate!"

"I see," Aizen said in a darkly curious voice, "It seems my enemies don't care about destroying the Daishima bloodline. They are just out to destroy me in any way they can."

"Or maybe," Nori said accusingly, "someone under your influence was trying to undo our efforts to deprive you of your powers. Tell me the truth, Aizen! Did you influence one of our staff and set Tetsuya up to die?"


	3. Guarded

**Chapter 3: Guarded**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **(Thanks a million to everyone reading and reviewing! This one's becoming a bit of a powerhouse, so I will just have to keep it on high priority. Thanks to all of the Aizenlovers for coming out to comment. Love you guys! My gratitude to PrivateCaller (Sorry, can't help it really. You know I'm a slave to the muse!), Periwinkle (You've got an update! Another one will be along soon.), Anon (More is happily granted!), Winterheart2000 (Not as wonderful as you! :) You're really sweet.), Kittykins (Yeah, I'd say that given Aizen's past, that chair does have a leg to stand on! lol), Picklez80 (Well, he did kind of kill people and stab his friends and comrades in the back. That has a way of making people not like you...some of them violently!), Willow (Hmm, have to do something about that!), Aizenfan6969 (I'll be revisiting what Ichigo saw, so you will see that too, eventually.), JMI (Ah yes, the past is very important to Ichigo's motivation, so it will be looked at more closely.), Ctofi1 (You are very welcome, sweetie!), GrimmIchisgrl (So glad you like it!), Hisuiryuu (Yeah, Tetsuya takes a lot of damage, but he tends to be pretty resilient too, so, he'll be on his feet soon, especially with his affianced watching over him!), Sariniste (You have about the best character and story sense of any reader I know. I officially can't get a thing past you! :) You're awesome.) and Shima-Taicho31 (I have that problem too sometimes. Ff is finicky, to say the least. But let this new chappie bring a smile. Actually, Tetsuya and Kuri will have a little more connection time in the next, but there's sweetness here too. :) Have a great day!) Enjoy the new chapter. Love to all, Spunky)**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"Did you influence one of our staff and set Kuchiki Tetsuya up to die?" Nori demanded fiercely.

"Now, how exactly would I have done that?" Aizen asked, calmly looking around the room, "You have me bound to this chair and I have not even spoken to anyone except Ichigo since I was wheeled in here. And why would I try to have Tetsuya murdered when he is my key to release?"

"One might go crazy asking why you do the things you do," Nori said darkly, "Why you conducted experiments on unwilling people, dug out pieces of living souls for your experiments, used dying souls to make altered hollows, viciously murdered the former council and betrayed all of Soul Society by turning your back on your promises as a Gotei officer to protect everyone!"

"Hmm, I agree that it's hard to understand my actions, not knowing the secrets locked in my past. Yes, it must be very distressing, but still, you must see it's reaching to think that I have any reason to attack Kuchiki Tetsuya. I have agreed to the making of the Daishima heirs. You begin to trample on my rights as the head of a noble house to keep me locked up here. I suggest you let me go."

Nori's eyes darkened warningly.

"There is no way that you are walking out of here without there being some assurance that at least one heir has been made."

"Can I ask you a question?" Ichigo said suddenly.

Nori paused and blinked in surprise, suddenly seeming to recall that Ichigo was in the room with them.

"What is it, Shiba Ichigo?" the councilor asked in a more collected tone.

"Aizen is right about the council not really having the right to make these demands, isn't he?"

Nori gave him a look of frustration.

"We are within reasonable guidelines, considering the danger he poses to us and to Soul Society," Nori explained, "The council does not have the right to impede clan leaders in most cases, but in cases where the leader is responsible for numerous deaths and/or acts of treason, reasonable means may be used as protective measures to ensure Soul Society is protected from a leader gone astray."

"What he is saying is that they are using loopholes to maintain control of me, even though they know they have to let me out of the prison and give me access to my family's estate," Aizen concluded.

"Shiba Ichigo, you were the one most responsible for apprehending this man. You know the depths of treachery in his heart. You fought him to the ends of your strength, for kami's sake! Don't you understand, if we just let him go, we are _asking_ for another war. We have already endured two, and..."

"And I was the one to end both of them," Ichigo concluded, "Look, I of all people, know this guy can't be trusted. But the law says that he has to be allowed to leave here and repopulate his clan. If he still had the hogyoku, I might be as worried as you are about him taking another try at the king, but don't forget, he helped me to end Ywach's rampage. The king on the throne is one he and I put there. He isn't just a puppet, like the old king. Honor has been restored to the royal family and the hogyoku is gone. Aizen Sousuke has no reason to set his sights on godhood anymore."

"Not like he ever needed a reason," Nori worried, "Ichigo, maybe you can feel safe, even if this man is on the loose. You have something with which to fight him. None of the rest of us do. If he decides to go on another rampage..."

Ichigo nodded.

"I understand your concerns, and I promise you I won't let him start another war," he said firmly, "But you need to let him go. Not just because the law says you have to, but because he's vulnerable to death here. You can't protect him...and from what I understand, the council has an obligation to protect his bloodline."

"What are you suggesting?" Nori asked, giving him a look of alarm.

Ichigo laid a hand on one of the swords strapped to his back, then drew it and slashed at Aizen's bonds, freeing him enough so that he could work the rest of the bindings off, himself. Nori's face went white and his body taut.

"Shiba Ichigo, you must stop!" he gasped, staring, "Do you even know what you are loosing on Soul Society?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said solemnly, "I know better than anyone who that man is...and I told you, I'll take responsibility. I'm taking him to the Daishima estate. We'll wait there until Byakuya's family healers arrive to help us make the heirs."

"But you can't just...!"

Nori broke off as the door to the holding chamber opened and Shima Kurushimi rushed into the room, followed by several of the council guards. He slid to a stop, staring at Ichigo, who stood with his blade still in his hand, and at the freed Aizen.

" _Dios mìo_ , cousin," he breathed disbelievingly, "What have you done? You...freed him? That devil?"

"I'm taking him to the Daishima estate," Ichigo said sternly, "If the council wants to confine him there, that's fine. But if he stays here, someone's going to kill him."

"Not that it would be a great loss, except for the bloodline he carries," Kuri sighed, "But you are probably right."

Ichigo and Nori gave him a questioning look.

"I found the one who poisoned my fiancé," Kuri reported, "He was already dead when I reached him...poisoned."

"Like Tetsuya," Ichigo mused, looking down at his sword.

Nori's lips stiffened and he went quiet for a moment, glaring at Aizen.

"You know you are out of options, don't you?" Aizen inquired calmly, "I think you should listen to Ichigo, if you truly care about the future of the Daishima clan."

"I suppose we have no choice," the grand councilor admitted grudgingly, "It seems we are not able to guarantee his safety here anymore, and the safety of the Daishima line is of utmost importance to the king. Just...Shiba Ichigo, please remember this man's crimes. If anyone can protect us from him, you can. You must keep him from acting in the fashion he did before. I will release him to your custody, but understand that his actions are now on your shoulders. Aizen Sousuke is your responsibility now. You must protect us from him."

"I'm not going to let him harm anyone," Ichigo promised, taking Aizen's hand, "We'll go straight to the Daishima estate and wait there for Byakuya's healers. Feel free to put whatever guards you want around the place."

Nori held Aizen's gaze stonily for a time, then let out a sigh and lowered his eyes.

"Go then. Go quickly," he urged them, "I will inform the council about what has happened."

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya sat silently at Tetsuya's side, one slender hand holding his cousin's and his dark eyes focused steadily on Tetsuya's face. He barely registered the sound of the bedroom door opening as Urahara Kisuke entered the room. The shopkeeper paused, giving the two a sympathetic look.

"Hey, I told you he's going to be okay," Kisuke said reassuringly, "You got him here in time, and between the healers you brought along, Orihime and me, we've got it under control."

"That is good," Byakuya acknowledged, "It does grieve me, though, that Tetsuya ended up in harm's way. The hatred that people feel for Aizen Sousuke moves their actions beyond reason. Tetsuya did nothing to deserve this. He acted completely within accordance to the law."

"Well, I guess it's understandable that some people hate Aizen so much that they'd kill someone innocent just to interfere with him. Not everyone's as upstanding as you, Byakuya-san. Some people would go to all kinds of lengths to get to Aizen, to stop him before he causes anymore grief."

"I understand their concerns," Byakuya said quietly, still gazing down at Tetsuya's sleeping face, "but there is no excuse for becoming lawless, even to stop him."

Byakuya paused, glancing up at Kisuke, then letting out a sigh of frustration.

"But look who I'm talking to."

"Yeah, I guess you've got a point there," Kisuke chuckled, "But even you have to admit that there are times you have to throw the rule book out the window and do what you've gotta do to save the world, ne?"

Byakuya's lips stiffeneed and images of the zombified forms of taichous Rose and Kensei passed before his eyes, glaring mockingly at him.

"I suppose," he said, closing his eyes and touching Tetsuya's soft hand to his cheek, "But that should be the exception, rather than the rule, should it not?"

"Yeah," Kisuke agreed his paler eyes reflecting understanding, "it should be...or we'll just become monsters too, right?"

"Or are we already?" Byakuya whispered, setting Tetsuya's hand down as the door opened and Shima Kurushimi entered the room.

"What's going on?" he asked urgently, "Were you able to locate Tetsuya's attacker?"

"Yes," Kuri confirmed, "although he was already dead when we found him."

"Dead?" Byakuya repeated, glancing warily at Tetsuya.

"The same poison he gave to your cousin," Kurushimi explained, "He looked to have died just moments before I reached him, and the guards could find no sign of who might have killed him or used him to attack Tetsu-hana."

"Damn..." Byakuya mused, paling slightly.

"Oh, it gets worse," Kuri went on, "After I reported his death to Nori, he had to order Aizen's removal to the Daishima estate for his own protection. Actually, Ichibun demanded it, saying that the council was responsible for the safety of the Daishima bloodline, but they couldn't protect Aizen at all if he didn't leave."

"So Ichigo took it on himself...?"

"He took responsibility for Aizen and convinced Nori to approve the release immediately. They are on their way to the Daishima estate now. Ichibun said to tell you that they will wait there for your healers. They won't trust any other, after what happened."

"That's probably wise if we don't want this foray into reviving the Daishima clan to end before it begins."

Byakuya looked down at Tetsuya, regret plain in his grey orbs. Reading his expression, Kuri sat down at Tetsuya's side and took the unconscious man's hand.

"Look, you have to go and see to this personally," he urged Byakuya, "I promise you I will stay here and make sure that Tetsu-hana is kept safe. When he is well, we will join you at the Daishima estate."

Byakuya paused, gazing at Kuri appraisingly for several long moments. Then, he nodded and turned away.

"See to it that nothing further befalls my cousin," he said sternly, "He is your fiancé, after all. You are now responsible for his well-being."

"I am," Kuri chuckled, caressing Tetsuya's fingers gently, "Go on. I won't let anything more happen to him. I promise you."

"I am trusting you," Byakuya said, striding out of the room.

He headed down the hallway, then flash stepped down into Urahara's underground training area, where he found a tall, rough looking man in a taicho's uniform waiting for him. The man gave him a crooked smile and Byakuya flinched very slightly.

"What are you doing here, Zaraki Kenpachi?" he asked disapprovingly.

"I heard there was trouble brewing and it sounded like you were right, smack dab in the middle of it. So, me and Nozarashi were just looking to get in on the action. Where are you off to?"

"Not that it's any business of yours, but the Daishima estate," Byakuya said off-handedly, drawing his blade and beginning to open a senkaimon, "You can come if you wish. There may, at some point, be an opportunity for you to fight someone."

"If that slick asshole, Aizen's there, then there's sure to be," Kenpachi laughed, falling in at Byakuya's side as the two entered the senkaimon, "But why are you being so friendly and inviting me along like that? You starting to like me, Princess?"

Byakuya's lips stiffened and he glared at Kenpachi out of the corner of one grey eye.

"Not in this lifetime," Byakuya said icily.

Kenpachi moved closer and breathed his next words into the Kuchiki leader's ear.

"That's not what you said when we were trapped together and you thought you were dying up there in the royal realm before."

Byakuya bristled.

"Well, I was delirious. Just because you took advantage of me in my reduced state doesn't mean there is _anything_ between us. You are just hallucinating."

"Is that right?" Kenpachi chuckled, turning and forcing his fellow taicho up against the corridor wall.

He pressed up against Byakuya so that his comrade couldn't miss the fact that he was extremely aroused. His hands wrapped around Byakuya's arms and his mouth sought the trapped noble's hungrily. For one stunned moment, Byakuya froze as Kenpachi's tongue slipped past his protesting lips and dipped into his mouth, exploring roughly, then curling teasingly around his. Then, so swiftly the move was invisible, Byakuya drove a knee into the bigger man's groin, making him grunt and pull away, gasping and swearing heatedly.

"Fuck, Kuchiki, did you have to do that?"

"Don't ever put your hands or any other part of yourself on me without my permission again!" Byakuya hissed "Someone... _anyone_ could have seen that!"

"What? We're in the precipice world. There's no one around! What are you complaining about? Damn, that hurt!"

He panted a few times, the growled and straightened, making a discomfited face.

"I don't know if it was worth it, even to kiss you like that," Kenpachi complained, "You know, you're damned good in the sack, Kuchiki, but you've got a few screws loose or something. Did you have to kick me right there?"

"How dare you talk about a problem with _my_ mental capacities!" Byakuya seethed, "Don't you understand anything I tell you? What happened while we were trapped in the royal realm only happened because I was _delirious_! I didn't know what I was doing!"

"Oh, hell yes, you did!" Kenpachi snickered, "I'm still dreaming every night about that."

"Well, your dreams are the only place that will _ever_ happen again. I had a concussion and was certainly not myself when we made love...erm...had _that encounter._ "

"Fine," Kenpachi snorted, "Go on fooling yourself. I can just keep myself busy fighting everything in sight until you come to your senses."

"Do whatever you want," Byakuya said dryly, "Just don't kiss me again. Stay out of my way!"

"Sure thing, Princess," Kenpachi teased, grinning.

"And _don't_ call me that!"

The two continued through the precipice world, emerging after a time, into a clearing amidst a lovely forested area. At the far end, a massive white house was set back, partially in the trees. The two crossed the clearing, passing a number of council guards stationed outside, and approached the front door, which opened before they had fully ascended the front steps. Ichigo stepped out, onto the porch with a fully unbound and tastefully dressed, Aizen Sousuke.

"Welcome, gentlemen," Aizen greeted them, "Won't you come in?"

"I think I'll stay out here and look after things," Kenpachi said, glancing at Byakuya, "Let me know if that asshole gives you any grief, okay? Nozarashi's getting excited, just being this close to him."

"What _doesn't_ excite that oversized buffoon," Byakuya said under his breath.

"Very well," Aizen said, smirking, "Byakuya, won't you join us. We were about to have tea."

"I am not here to socialize," Byakuya said tersely, following the two inside, "I am only here to see that the dictates of the law are followed. My healers are taking Tetsuya's blood and reiatsu now, and will join us presently to begin the alteration."

"How is Tetsuya doing?" Ichigo asked worriedly, "Was Orihime able to help him?"

"Fortunately, yes," Byakuya affirmed, "although the process of rejecting the poison was lengthy and tiring for her. I am very grateful to her for assisting Tetsuya. She is quite capable."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, "I don't know what I would have done without her."

Byakuya gave him a meaningful look.

"I just hope more of us don't need her assistance before this is done. Shiba Ichigo, are you sure you know what you are doing?"

Ichigo exchanged a momentary glance with Aizen.

"I'm doing what I have to," Ichigo answered, "for everyone's sake."

"I am not sure I can see how loosing Aizen Sousuke on Soul Society could be good for anyone, but you have proven yourself to me more times than I can mention. I will trust you, and the laws that state that the Daishima line must be revived."

"Thank you," Ichigo said sincerely.

"Shall we go inside?" Aizen invited the two.

The three passed into the huge foyer, then into a greeting room, where an youthful, male attendant was pouring tea for them. Byakuya paused, studying the youth for a moment.

"You are Shiba Toshi?"

"Yes, Kuchiki-sama," the young man replied politely, "I am Ichigo-sama's attendant."

"He's here because I know I can trust him," Ichigo explained, "We have to be really careful, since Sousuke doesn't have the hogyoku making him immortal anymore."

Byakuya stared for a moment at Ichigo's use of Aizen's first name.

 _But I suppose if he's going to be impregnating that demon, they would be on a first name basis. Still, I find it unsettling._

"Won't you sit down, Byakuya?" Aizen asked, indicating a comfortable looking chair.

Byakuya looked back at him wordlessly and sat down, sipping quietly at his tea as Ichigo and Aizen also sipped at theirs.

"How long do you think it will be until your healers arrive to begin?" Ichigo asked.

Byakuya noted immediately the slight uncertainty that infected the young man's words.

"Within the hour," he answered, "Ichigo, you sound a little unsure of yourself. Are you sure that this is what you want?"

"Well," Ichigo said, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "I wouldn't say it's what I want, but it's something I have to do."

"You probably understand that very well, don't you?" Aizen added, meeting Byakuya's eyes calmly.

"Yes," Byakuya agreed, "I think we are all doing what we must. The Daishima family is of great importance to the king. And while we wait for the others to arrive, I think it is time I inform the two of you of the family's history."


	4. The King's Protectors

**Chapter 4: The King's Protectors**

 **(Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing! And thanks to all of the lovely Aizenfans PMing their requests. There is much more to come! Have a wonderful day! Love to you, Spunky)**

Shima Kurushimi sat quietly at Tetsuya's side, holding the young man's hand and gazing off into the distance, his mind going back to another very beautiful young man he had once loved.

" _Kuri kuri!" Hideaki said enthusiastically, his pretty emerald colored eyes shining, "We are going to have a child!"_

The next breath he took felt icy and painful.

 _It's still hard to breathe whenever I think of my lovely Hideaki, and Tetsu-hana is another precious flower like him. The two could share souls, even though they don't look so much alike. It is their delicate build and even more delicate manner that makes them similar. Hideaki was a commoner I met by accident and now Tetsu-hana and I have encountered each other in another unexpected way._

 _I don't know what to think about that._

"Shima-sama?" Tetsuya mumbled sleepily, "Where am I?"

Kuri smiled down at his confused expression.

"Byakurai brought you to Karakura Town so that you could be healed. You were lucky our _Princesa_ could heal you. The poison you were given was a powerful one. But you are going to be fine now. You just need to rest."

"Do you know if they were able to draw the blood and reiatsu already for Aizen Sousuke's procedure?" Tetsuya asked anxiously.

"Yes, Tetsu-hana," Kuri said, patting his hand, "That is all done. You have nothing left to do now but to rest. Oh, and I suppose we could make our wedding plans."

Tetsuya gave him an uncertain look.

"What is wrong?" Kuri asked, smirking, "I thought that you liked the idea of marrying a clan leader. Have you changed your mind about me already? Did I do something to offend you?"

"No," Tetsuya assured him, "and I am flattered that you came to sit with me. You are very kind."

"I confess I am also finding you attractive," Kuri admitted.

"You had a strange look on your face when I first opened my eyes," Tetsuya remembered, "It looked almost like you were in pain. Did something happen while I was asleep?"

"Well, something happened, but not while you were asleep. I was just remembering my husband, Hideaki. It is beautiful to think of him, but it is also painful. You must know what I mean. You also lost someone."

"My Naoki," Tetsuya agreed, "He was killed protecting me and the child I carried, while we were trying to escape Itamigiri."

"Ah…and my Hideaki passed from complications while having our child. Sadly, our child died with him."

"I am sorry," Tetsuya said softly.

"I am sorry for your loss as well."

Kuri studied Tetsuya's curious expression for a moment.

"Tetsu-hana," he went on, "I know that my proposal was very sudden, and it was something I did so that you would not have to help Aizen have a child, but the truth is, the more time I spend with you, the more time I _want_ to spend with you. You are lovely and spirited, even though you are also often quiet. You have beautiful eyes I could look into every day. And I think seeing you would make my mother and sister faint with excitement. They adored Hideaki."

Tetsuya blushed.

"W-well, at very least, I should meet them because it's going to get around that you and I are engaged."

Kuri blinked and gave him a shocked look.

" _Dios mìo_ , you are right!" he exclaimed, " _Mamà_ and Deripie must have heard by now. They will be on the warpath for me not telling them anything. They are probably on their way here n…"

He trailed off as the door to the bedroom opened and two comely women with Kuri's same caramel skin entered, wearing stern looks.

" _Mijo_ , what is this I hear about you being engaged to Byakuya's bodyguard?" the elder woman asked, frowning.

She paused as her eyes collided forcefully with Tetsuya's and her lips curved upward instantly.

"Oh! _Angelito_! He is enchanting. How did you meet?"

"It was sort of by accident," Kuri explained, "You see, Tetsu-hana is a breeder male and those _burros_ in Central 46 were trying to force him to make a child with Aizen."

"What? Oh, this is because he is a Daishima heir?" Kuri's sister asked.

"Yes," Kuri confirmed, "The council was required to release him and to keep his powers under some control, they wanted someone to use their breeder abilty to make his child. They started to order this _joven hermosa_ to do this with him, so I stepped forward and said that we were engaged. That is all that happened."

Aderia put her hands on her hips and exchanged skeptical glances with her mother.

"But now that means that you are going to have to go through with a marriage, doesn't it?" she asked.

"I have spoken to Tetsu-hana about that, and he seems agreeable about it."

Kuri's mother moved closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

" _Mijo_ ," she said kindly, "I will not object, but are you sure you are ready? You still have very strong feelings about what happened to Hideaki. What happens when you must impregnate Tetsuya? Are you going to be all right about that?"

Kuri paused and let out a soft, sighing breath.

"I don't know exactly," he confessed, "Maybe it will need to be a long engagement."

"You don't have to marry me if you don't want to," Tetsuya assured him.

" _Angelito_ , Kuri's mother said kindly, "I can see that my son is fond of you. There is no question you could be a good match. It is just that Kuri may need time to work through his feelings about it."

"I understand," Tetsuya said, smiling sadly, "We have had similar losses. He shouldn't rush into anything. I am happy to have a long engagement with Shima-sama. At very least, we will part friends."

"Then, as my friend," said Kuri, "you are never to call me Shima-sama, only Kuri. And I hope you don't mind if I continue to call you Tetsu-hana."

"It's fine," Tetsuya chuckled, "I'm getting used to it."

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya removed an old leatherbound book from his pack and set it on the table in front of him. He opened the book to the inside cover, where there was a portrait of a tall, brown eyed man with looks similar to Aizen's above an image of the Daishima family crest.

"As you are aware," Byakuya explained, "there were five noble clans who had their beginnings in the king's gardens. Each of these houses came from a natural source. The Kuchiki progenitor, Kuchiki Hajime, was made from an ancient sakura. The Shihoin progenitor was fashioned from one of the feral big cats. Another was made from a giant silkworm. Each family that was created bears a specific item or task that the king has given them, and in return, they are given the highest ranking and most privileges among the noble clans. My family is responsible for keeping safe the histories of Soul Society, as well as storing artifacts and powerful items that are not safe elsewhere. The Shihoin clan possesses the royal armor. The Aomori clan creates the king's clothing. But in addition to the great clans, the soul king's first incarnation created a secret sixth clan whose duty it was to protect the king carefully. For thousands of years, the Daishima clan saw to that duty. But some time back, the members of the Daishima family began to fall ill and die off, until there were no more. It was around this time that the soul king became ill and eventually died without being revived. This gave rise to the placement of a regent who ruled in the place of the rightful king, and would do so until the new king's incarnation emerged from the king's prism."

"Was the prism lost?" Aizen asked.

"No," Byakuya explained, "The prism is in the regent's possession, but it has not identified a new king, and no one really understands why. But it is my suspicion now that the prism has been waiting. The Daishima heir who protects the king was also one whose task was to ensure the passage of power from one king to the next. If you were listening carefully, you will be questioning the death of the last true king, which occurred hundreds of years ago. Even the king just seated is a regent and not a true king. We cannot have a true king until the prism reveals him. I am convinced that your appearance and identification is an opportunity for that to happen. But I must warn you that it also means that if the former king died in a treacherous way, you may be targeted while you are vulnerable. That Tetsuya has already been attacked is a worrisome sign. Ichigo, I would warn you to remain close to Aizen and to trust no one but each other. Be exceedingly careful about who you allow close to him during his gestation."

"Why can't we just put off making him powerless until we have some kind of information on who could be planning something?" Ichigo asked, "We have leads on who hurt Tetsuya, don't we?"

"Actually, not really," Byakuya confessed, "It is still being investigated. Remember that this one or group may also have connections to the death of the last king. There is no way, at this point, to know. We just have to proceed with extreme caution."

"I don't think I like the sound of that," Ichigo complained.

He studied Aizen's contemplative expression.

"What're you thinking?" he asked, "You don't really think you being powerless right now is a _good_ idea, do you?"

"I don't prefer it," Aizen agreed, "but it does work as a way to lure whomever tried to kill Kuchiki Tetsuya into also attacking me."

"Do you think this is funny?" Ichigo snapped angrily, "We're talking about your life and the life of our kid, here!"

Aizen paused, frowning and looking at Ichigo more closely.

"What?" the Shiba heir asked confrontationally, "I just don't think dangling you and this baby in front of a murderous enemy is a good thing to do."

"Neither do I," Aizen agreed, "but whatever we feel, it is most crucial to remake the Daishima line."

"I don't get it," Ichigo insisted, "Why do you, Aizen Sousuke, the guy who betrayed Soul Society and wanted to kill the king, suddenly feel all parental and want to start a family with me? You don't care about the king anymore than you ever did."

Aizen gave Ichigo an odd, amused smile that made his scowl deepen.

"Think, Ichigo," he said calmly, "I wanted to kill _the regent_ , not the king."

"You didn't have any idea that the guy sitting on the throne was even a regent!" Ichigo exclaimed, "Now, you're trying to convince me you wanted to kill him because you knew he wasn't the rightful king. You're not even keeping your own story straight!"

"But I am," Aizen insisted, "Ichigo, my objection to the king wasn't an emotional one, not ever. I wanted to kill the king because he was a sham and a disappointment. I wanted to kill him because I couldn't believe in him. It's in my nature to kill that which masquerades but isn't real. And I am beginning to become convinced that the feeling, the urge to do that may have come from my connection to the true king."

"Aizen Sousuke being _loyal_ to someone he doesn't even know? Following blindly? I don't think so!" Ichigo snapped, "I don't know what you're up to, but…"

"But if you stop and think logically for a moment, there is nowhere for me to go but forward. Whatever happens, the next step is to make the Daishima heir. Are you saying that you no longer wish to do that?"

"No, I'm not saying that," Ichigo explained, "I just don't understand why you want so much to do this. Seriously, why?"

Aizen gave him a wry smile.

"Come now, Ichigo, you of all people should already know the answer to that. I have told you this before. People have a natural instinct when they're afraid, so look for a higher power…to hope, to pray, to depend. That is the instinct built into all of us. I am powerful, so I didn't need to have that instinct activated in me for a long time. For most of my life, I searched like everyone else for that higher power, someone on whom I could depend. Because that is also in our nature."

"But you looked down on everyone for listening to that instinct," Ichigo remembered, "Are you saying that you've changed your mind now?"

"Not at all," Aizen explained, "I still think that if one is so inclined, he or she can consciously reject that urge to follow, and can force himself or herself to lead. Because I was powerful, I could convince the most powerful hollows to follow me. I could gather a force strong enough to knock down the lie that was in the heavens and shatter the foundation that he was built on. Maybe if he wasn't meant to lead, I reasoned, I was. But even then, I think I knew that I would also have been an imposter. But if I took that place, if there was a stronger person alive, that person would be stirred by my rise…to topple me."

Ichigo gave him an incredulous look.

"You _wanted_ someone to kill you?" he asked, shaking his head, "That's crazy! Why would you want that?"

"Why do you think?" Aizen asked, "All along, I acted as I did because I wanted to shatter the idea that I, like everyone else, needed to find a higher power to love, to respect, to depend on, to _have faith in_. I made my version of the hougyoku and directed it at that idea."

"You built a whole war on the idea that the true king didn't exist and that there would always be someone on the throne and someone threatening it?" Ichigo asked, "So, the hougyoku…failed?"

"No," Aizen said more softly, "the hougyoku did exactly what it was made to do. It was made to bring about the desires of the ones around it."

"But it didn't shatter that illusion of collisions of power that you believed in," Ichigo objected, "You tried to kill the king, and you failed!"

"Exactly," Aizen said pointedly, "And it was in failing that I realized that the prism had done, not what I said I wanted and couldn't do…but what I really wanted and couldn't say."

"You're saying that you wanted to be beaten?"

Aizen's smile warmed.

"I wanted secretly to be stopped by a power stronger than my own, to be pushed back and thwarted by that power…so…I created the power that could defeat mine."

"Y-you…"

"I didn't know I was doing it, but I made you from start to finish, Ichigo. If you will think back, the hougyoku was behind the making of _White_ , who inadvertently made you when he infected your mother. When I had Rukia sent to Karakura Town, I changed the course of your life, igniting your powers and setting you on the path. I guided your steps, challenging you along the way, all along the way and bringing you to each new battle with more power and wisdom than you had in the one before. You grew with every challenge and eventually, you even grew to the point that you overcame me. I was, I admit, surprised. All of my other experiments to create that higher power failed, but you not only met my expectations, you exceeded them. I wouldn't have expected you would go on to destroy the quincy king also. But you did that also, furthering my belief that you were, in fact, the very wish I never whispered to the hougyoku. I tried to explain this to you during our battle, but you were distracted."

"Maybe because you were trying to murder my family and friends," Ichigo said in a low, angry voice.

"You grow most quickly when your loved ones are threatened," Aizen said matter-of-factly, "I was provoking you so that you would evolve…just as I used Gin to stimulate my own evolution. I imagine I wanted to bring both of us to the peak of our powers to see where it led."

Ichigo scowled.

"You know how much of a bastard you are, don't you?" he asked angrily.

"You wanted the power to protect everyone," Aizen accused him, "You've said it many times, Ichigo. The hougyoku understood and it helped me to give you that power."

"What? It wanted to sabotage you?" Ichigo asked, looking confused.

"No, I _wanted_ to be overcome by you. My life's work, all of my accumulated failures stacked up to _build you_ , Ichigo. Why do you think that you are the only one I will allow to lay a hand on me. You know that I am not in love with you and that it isn't in my nature at all to submit to anyone. Why you?"

Ichigo stared back at Aizen in quiet fascination.

"You are the hougyoku's answer to my deepest unspoken wishes, Ichigo," Aizen said calmly, "You have power that can undo me. You have a desire to protect…and…like all other creatures, I _want_ that feeling of safety. I am curious about why it took all that it did to find you, and it fascinates me that I was forced to create you, myself. And now, I am extremely curious about how my connection to the Daishima clan might have factored into this. So, there is only one pathway from here. If I want to know the answer to that question, I need to regrow the Daishima line and explore it. That, Ichigo, begins with you."

Ichigo was quiet for several long minutes, his brown eyes thoughtful. Finally, he nodded in acceptance and looked back at Byakuya.

"Is there any more you can tell us about the Daishima clan?" he asked.

Byakuya shook his head.

"I have told you all that our records indicate," the noble answered, "But now that you are here, as you explore the property together, you may find more answers than I could give you."

The three looked up as a group of men led by Byakuya's clan healer were led into the room by Ichigo's attendant.

"Our apologies for disturbing you, sirs," Kuchiki Michio apologized, "But we have gathered Kuchiki Tetsuya's reiatsu and blood, and we are ready to begin the procedure."


	5. Homecoming

**Chapter 5: Homecoming**

Byakuya and Ichigo stood quietly behind the old Kuchiki healer, who leaned over the bed where Aizen Sousuke laid, dressed in a simple white yukata, with the front left open and his brown eyes contemplative as Tetsuya's blood and reiatsu was injected into his spirit core. He breathed slowly, feeling nothing out of the ordinary at first, but the slight intrusion of the needle, then a little burning sensation where the injection had been given.

"How long will it take for the injection to affect him?" Ichigo asked, "I mean, when they were talking about making him a breeder, they didn't say how long it takes for that to happen."

Michio looked up at him and nodded briefly.

"It will take a few hours for his body to sense the change and to create the matrix for what will be the spirit chamber which will hold your child's reiatsu."

"So, the spirit chamber doesn't just form right then?" Ichigo inquired.

"It is the introduction of your semen and reiatsu into Aizen's body that will stimulate the matrix to form the spirit chamber. In a way, it resembles the placenta of a female, but because we are spirit beings, it is constructed of soul particles and mingled seed and reiatsu of the parents. The baby is basically just a spirit cluster until matured, then it emerges from the body and solidifies."

"The danger in the process is not so much from the baby itself," Byakuya explained, "but from the fact that it must grow close to the bearer's spirit core, borrowing from it to mature properly. It leaves the bearer with enough reiatsu to live, but much is diverted to serve the needs of the developing child. This is why the bearer loses his powers."

"It sounds dangerous," Ichigo said, glancing down at Aizen's calm, unaffected expression.

"It is dangerous," Michio said, matter-of-factly, "Remember that the practice of making men into bearers was a measure of desperation, created at a time when the very existence of the noble clans was threatened by the first quincy war. A number of the first breeder males died. Also, later, when the number of births had increased sufficiently, it was discovered that some of the males being born of breeders had an innate breeding ability. Central 46 ruled the making of breeders both dangerous and unnecessary, so the practice was banned. Breeders and their male offspring were discouraged from reproducing, although some simply hid their ability, so we sometimes have breeder males like Tetsuya-san who are unaware they have the ability until they become pregnant."

"Like Tetsuya did when he was a prisoner before?" asked Ichigo, glancing at Byakuya.

"Yes," Byakuya confirmed, "when Tetsuya was imprisoned in the noble's prison, Itamigiri, his captors learned of his ability when his cellmate impregnated him. They scheduled Tetsuya for termination, but I arrived and freed him and the others in the prison before the order could be carried out. Tetsuya, unfortunately, lost his child, due to injuries he sustained during the escape from the prison."

"Do you know what type of symptoms I will experience?" Aizen asked, "Will it be comparable to female pregnancy?"

"In some ways, yes," Michio answered, laying his fingertips on Aizen's bare abdomen and examining the reiatsu around it, "Your body will first react to the slight intrusion of the presence of the matrix that will make the spirit chamber grow. You may feel a temporary heaviness in your abdomen and have some nausea and pain. When the father's reiatsu is placed through intercourse, it will be attracted to the matrix, which will then respond to the presence of the genetic material by forming the spirit chamber. You will likely feel some pressure in the area, occasional pain related to movement or body positioning, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and a loss of powers caused by the position of the spirit chamber and the borrowing of nutrients and reiatsu from the bearer. As the cluster matures, it will swell some, and the amount of swelling will have to be carefully monitored. I will return intermittently to check your progress and to make sure that the chamber does not encroach too much on your spirit core."

"In the past," Byakuya added, "one of the main concerns was that in some of the breeder males, the chamber expanded too much and encroached on the bearer's soul core too much, resulting in the bearer not being able to safely continue the pregnancy. It is a delicate balance."

"Part of the way that balance is kept," Michio went on, "is through bonding between the father and bearer. Ichigo-sama, you will place your hands on Aizen-sama's abdomen and let your reiatsu flow carefully into the area to naturally balance the forces of his and the baby's reiatsus. You will need to do this daily, anytime that Aizen-sama's symptoms begin to escalate."

"How long do we wait for the injection you gave him to change him enough to…?"

"I am already sensing the formation of the matrix that will stimulate the growth of the spirit chamber when you mate."

"We will be leaving shortly," Byakuya added, "I will remain outside of this property with Michio and a group of protectors. The council requires that until a viable pregnancy is confirmed, you, Aizen Sousuke, must not leave your estate."

"So, he's kind of a prisoner here?" Ichigo surmised.

"It is better than Muken," Aizen said, looking amused, "and I am sure that you and I will have plenty to keep us busy, exploring."

Ichigo gave him a guarded look.

"You seem pretty relaxed for a guy about to be made pregnant," he commented.

"And you look rather anxious," Aizen replied, "Don't be. It won't be as unpleasant as you are thinking."

"Have you had sex with a guy before?"

"No," Aizen answered, "as my powers developed, I was cautious not to have a physical relationship with anyone because my reiatsu becomes dangerous when I am aroused."

Ichigo blinked in surprise.

"You're a virgin?" he said, without thinking, then he blushed.

"I think you are too, aren't you?" Aizen replied, looking even more amused as Ichigo's flush deepened and he scowled in reaction.

Michio and Byakuya exchanged glances.

"I think that the matrix is sufficiently formed so that we can leave you to see to your task," Michio informed them.

Byakuya approached Ichigo and regarded him quietly for a moment.

"Ichigo," he said solemnly, "if you feel at any time that you are in danger, I will be just outside the mansion in the camp. You, of course, are welcome to come and go at will, as long as you return to provide the necessary infusions."

"Okay," Ichigo answered uncertainly, "Thanks, Byakuya."

He bit at his lip gently as Byakuya and the healer took their leave, then Aizen sat up in the bed and looked up at him expectantly.

"You've handled all of this rather calmly until now," Aizen commented, "but now that we are alone and about to begin, you seem unsettled. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Ichigo said, trying to sound calmer than he felt, "I think, up until now, this didn't seem real to me. I knew logically what I was agreeing to, but now that we're alone…"

"It will be fine," Aizen said, sitting up and fastening his yukata, "We only need to get more comfortable before we attempt to have sex."

Ichigo's face flushed again in reaction.

"Do you have to say it like that?" he complained, "you make it sound like it doesn't bother you at all. Aren't you the least bit worried I might accidentally hurt you? I haven't done anything like that before."

Aizen gave him an amused smirk.

"You don't need to worry about hurting me, Ichigo," he answered, "Remember, I do have my powers right now. You will not be having sex with a weaker soul."

Ichigo paled.

"Maybe we should explore a little first," he suggested, then he realized the other possible meaning of his words and his blush deepened further, "I mean…the…"

"The mansion," Aizen supplied, "Of course. That should allow you to regain your equilibrium and give us time to bond sufficiently for mating."

Ichigo scowled.

"You make it sound really impersonal and…"

"I have a scientific mind," Aizen explained, "It's just how I look at nearly everything. Emotional reactions sometimes get in the way of discovery, so I don't tend to have them as often as some."

"That's why you're so calm about me having sex with you, because you're a scientist and you're curious?" Ichigo mused in a piqued tone, "Do you take anything seriously?"

"I take everything seriously," Aizen answered, leading Ichigo to the bedroom door, then out into the hallway, "I am just willing to exchange emotion for the benefit of discovery. The discovery and exploration of new things is stimulating in its own way."

Ichigo couldn't quite keep his lips from exiting their scowl and curving upward slightly.

"Now, you sound kinda like Kisuke," he commented as he followed Aizen deeper into the mansion.

"I feel a bit flattered," Aizen replied, his smirk intensifying, "He is a brilliant scientist. His work was inspiring to follow. The difference between us is that he allowed emotion to interfere, and that held him back."

Ichigo's scowl swiftly returned.

"You mean, he had some morals and you didn't," he retorted.

"Perhaps," Aizen said, pausing at a staircase that led both upwards and in the other direction, down into a lower level, "Where would you like to explore first?"

Ichigo studied the staircase for a moment.

"Maybe at the bottom?" he suggested.

Aizen nodded and gestured briefly for Ichigo to move out ahead of him, then fell in behind him as the two began to descend the steps.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya stepped out of the mansion and watched as Michio walked slowly to the cluster of tents that had been set up for the security detail. A moment later, Kenpachi's voice rose up from beside him.

"So, did you get Ichigo settled in?" the big man asked conversationally.

"Yes. I do not know how long it will be before I have to return to confirm the success of their mating, but…"

"Oh, I think we'll know when those two have been successful in their mating," Kenpachi snickered, "We worked up a pretty good storm when we went to bed together. They're stronger. I hope that mansion's made out of some strong stuff."

"You are disgusting," Byakuya snapped, scowling, "It is hard to believe that I could possibly have…"

"What? Had sex with me?" Kenpachi laughed, "Oh, I guarantee you, we did have sex."

"I know we did, you moron, but I didn't know what I was doing!"

"Oh yeah, you did!" Kenpachi insisted, "We got the deed done, didn't we?"

"Do you ever _shut up_?" Byakuya huffed, starting to flash step away, only to feel Kenpachi's hand wrap around his wrist, holding him back.

He started to object, then froze as the bigger man's arms wrapped around him and his smirking mouth engaged the noble's in a long, penetrating kiss. At first, Byakuya's reiatsu swelled in reaction and his hands clenched and pounded against Kenpachi's chest. But Kenpachi's tongue slipped in between his parted lips and began to explore, making Byakuya's mind freeze for a moment and weakening his knees. But within moments, he regained his wits and tore himself free, running the back of his hand over his burning lips.

"Would you stop trying to molest me?" he snapped furiously, "I know you are as primitive as a monkey, but do try to restrain yourself. We are in public!"

"You wanna go somewhere private?" Kenpachi purred, moving closer again.

"Get away from me!" Byakuya exclaimed, "I don't know what has gotten into you. Nothing seems to get through to you. I-am-not-interested-in-you!"

Kenpachi glared down into his flustered expression, breathing in his scent and grinning.

"That's not what the reiatsu around you says," he insisted, "Your reiatsu's changed. Can't you tell?"

Byakuya stiffened, blinking in surprise at the other man's words. He paused and examined the reiatsu swirling in the air around them, his mind spinning even faster. A jolt of realization went through him.

 _He is right. My reiatsu…feels different!_

 _What did that lumbering freak do to me?_

"I can see you're speechless," Kenpachi laughed, Does this mean I'm right?"

Byakuya moved suddenly, driving his knee into the bigger man's groin, then watching him drop unceremoniously to the ground.

"It means that you will keep your hands off of me, you witless barbarian!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya stepped out of the shower and into the steamy bathroom, picking up a warm, thirsty towel from the rack near the sink and drying himself slowly. He looked down at his slender, naked body as he worked, remembering the way it had changed during his first gestation.

 _We had to hide it because it wasn't allowed for breeder males to have babies. And all breeder males they discovered were killed. But I was pregnant for long enough that there was a baby bump and I did feel my child's presence inside me. It was awful when I felt that little soul slip away._

 _Kurushimi-sama has lost both a husband and his child also. We have some things in common, so maybe we can relate to each other. I was afraid that I would never be married to anyone because many of the nobles, even now, look down on me for my common blood and the commoners are intimidated by my noble blood. And I never, ever thought that the leader of another clan would consider me for marriage. Kurushimi-sama is doing this to protect me, but he also says that he is attracted to me._

 _I feel attracted to him too._

Tetsuya finished drying off and turned to pick up his house security uniform. He frowned curiously at finding that it had been replaced by a lovely kimono in mingled shades of blue and a pretty blue and white clip for his hair.

 _Is this…a gift from him?_

 _That's very thoughtful._

He dressed in the kimono and fashioned a small braid on the left side of his hair, to which he affixed the clip at the end. He left the bathroom and walked out into the bedroom to find that the Shima leader was sitting on the bed, waiting for him. Kuri smiled warmly at Tetsuya as he entered the bedroom, appreciating the kimono and nodding approvingly.

"You look lovely, Tetsu-hana," he said, standing.

"Thank you," Tetsuya said shyly, "Did you do this?"

"I did have the kimono sent here, yes," Kuri affirmed, "I had seen it while I was shopping once with Deripie and I thought it would match your blue eyes."

"It's beautiful," Tetsuya said, smiling back at him, "but you didn't have to do that."

"Actually, I sort of did have to do it," Kuri explained, "You see, word has gotten around about us being engaged and there are people waiting for us to return. They are curious, because you are known to have saved many lives in the war, and the stories are flying about how I was drawn to you and secretly sought your hand. You know how stories spiral out of control."

"And your answer is to stoke the fires?" Tetsuya asked, looking both flustered and amused.

Kuri shrugged.

"We are not going to put them out, so we may as well enjoy the attention."

"Except that we are not really…"

"Tetsu-hana," Kuri said, taking Tetsuya's hands in his and raising them to gently kiss them, "We don't know what we are yet. But we certainly have time to decide that. In the meantime, let us enjoy our engagement. I would be pleased to escort you home, if you wish."

Tetsuya blushed.

"That would be fine, Kurushimi-sama, thank you," Tetsuya said politely.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo reached the bottom of the stairs and spotted a pair of doors that were closed in front of them. He moved forward and examined the doors, admiring the carefully cut images in the surface, then he placed a palm on one of the doors and pushed gently. The door opened easily and he moved forward with Aizen at his shoulder, staring raptly as a mist seemed to rise from the floor and out of the walls, surrounding them.

"What is this?" Ichigo asked, looking alarmed.

"It doesn't seem to be harmful," Aizen concluded, "It has some kind of ethereal effect. Ichigo, I think that we are passing through to someplace else. The reiatsu is growing thicker. Do you feel it?"

"Yeah, I feel it," Ichigo confirmed, "but where are we?"

"I think we have entered a pocket dimension."

"A pocket dimension?" Ichigo inquired.

"Pocket dimensions are very commonly found in the Dangai Precipice, but it is rare to find one in Soul Society. The Research Department uses some of the ones in the Dangai to house dangerous spirits that they deem inappropriate for placement in the Central 46 prison. In simple terms, they place monsters in them."

Ichigo swallowed hard and extended his senses.

"It doesn't seem like anyone's here."

"No," Aizen agreed.

Ichigo turned his head to look at Aizen, and gasped as he realized that the other man no longer looked like himself, but was glowing brightly and seemed to have shed all of his clothing.

"What is that?" he exclaimed, backing away, "What are you doing?"

"I am not doing anything," Aizen answered, looking down at his body in surprise, "I don't know why this is happening."

 _It is happening because you have come home_ , a low voice hissed in their minds, making the two exchange surprised glances, _Welcome home, Aizen Sousuke, Lord of the Daishima clan!_


	6. Turns of Fate

**Chapter 6: Turns of Fate**

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 **(I'm getting this out for more than a few lovely readers who have been patiently waiting...Sariniste, of course! She is the supreme Aizen-loving queen. Also Mallari, Lil'peahqueen133, lots of guests, Aizenfan6969, MsKurumi. I am so happy to make your Aizendreams come true. NA, you need to calm down the anti-OC propaganda. If you like, please stay. If not, please quietly exit through the open door and be sure not to disturb the happy souls that are feasting here. :) Thanks again to Shima-Taicho31 for allowing me to use her OC, Shima Kurushimi and his adorable family! Have a great day, everyone. I am really enjoying the onset of the rainy weather! Love to all, Spunky)**

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Byakuya stood silently, just outside his tent within the guard encampment that protected the Daishima estate, his dark eyes looking off into the distance. Although on the surface, he maintained a calm and stately appearance, inside, his mind was in chaos.

 _I woke up feeling off this morning, and now my reiatsu seems affected somehow. It is odd that Kenpachi, who has very poor reiatsu sensing abilities, was able to sense it before I was. I wonder if this could be related to the situation with Aizen. Could someone angry about Aizen's release have done something to take revenge on me? But then, what does this reiatsu change really mean? Could it be the beginning of that revenge? Or is this something different?_

 _Where is that healer?_

"Byakuya-sama?" Tetsuya's voice called from behind him.

Byakuya turned and found Tetsuya, dressed in a lovely and unfamiliar blue kimono with a pretty blue and white clip in his hair, and standing alongside Shima Kurushimi and the Kuchiki clan healer.

"Tetsuya?" he inquired, frowning, "It was my understanding that Shima taicho was escorting you home to rest after your ordeal. Why have you come?"

"I was concerned when Michio-san had just arrived home and you called him back to see you. Are you all right, _watashi no itoko_?"

"I am fine," Byakuya assured him, "I was just having some odd symptoms and wished to see our healer to make certain I was not becoming ill. It was no reason for you to abandon your rest, in any case."

Tetsuya flushed slightly and Kuri placed his hand over his mouth, smiling in amusement.

Byakuya's frown deepened.

"What is this? What is going on?" he asked sternly, "You were not at home resting? If not, then what were you doing, Tetsuya? You are in no shape to be attending to your duties, at home or anywhere else."

"W-well, I was trying to rest," Tetsuya assured him, "However, as soon as we arrived at Kuchiki Manor, Kuri-kuri-sama and I…"

" _Kuri-kuri_?" Byakuya repeated, "That is a bit informal to be using in a public place with a clan leader, is it not?"

"We are engaged, Byakurai," Kuri chuckled, "Lighten up a little. I asked him to call me that."

Byakuya shot Kuri a disapproving look.

"What were you saying, Tetsuya?" he asked, ignoring the Shima leader.

"I was saying that I was proceeding home to rest, as you ordered and Kuri-kuri-sama was escorting me. But, when we arrived at the gates, there were people gathered to see us."

"To see you?" Byakuya mused, "Why?"

"Why, because of our engagement, of course," Kuri announced proudly, "It seems that my announcement in Central 46 caused the word to go out that I am marrying Tetsu-hana, and suddenly everyone is very interested in us. There were people from the television and media outlets there to interview us…"

"Oh, tell me that you did not answer any of their questions!" Byakuya exclaimed, "We have not had the opportunity to prepare for…"

"Don't worry," Kuri assured him, "Tetsu-hana only confirmed that we are engaged. Then, I told them that he was recovering from being poisoned and I was accompanying him home to ensure his safety."

"That does not sound too worrisome," Byakuya concluded, "But you said that you were not able to rest. Why was that?"

Kuri stifled a snicker and Tetsuya's blush deepened.

"Eh, well," Tetsuya said hesitantly, "although no one argued about me needing rest after being poisoned, it seems that the press has made another conclusion about why I needed rest and medical care…and why Kuri-kuri-sama was being so protective."

Byakuya hesitated for a moment, thinking, then he bristled.

"I told you he would be angry," Kuri said, shaking his head.

"They think you are pregnant?" Byakuya asked stiffly, "And that Shima taicho is the father of the child?"

"Yes," Tetsuya confirmed, "I knew better than to confirm or deny the rumor, but Kuri-kuri-sama and I decided that it was better not to remain at Kuchiki Manor, but to join you and inform you about what was happening."

"I am glad that you did," Byakuya assured him, "We will need to discuss what steps need to be taken to protect our honor."

"But you called on Michio-san to see you," Tetsuya reminded him, indicating the healer he had brought with him.

Byakuya let out an agitated breath.

"Did anyone see you two leave the manor with our healer?" he asked stridently.

"No," Tetsuya said reassuringly, "We were protected by my waterforms."

"Thank goodness for that," Byakuya sighed, "Tetsuya, I want you to go and lie down at once. You should not be up and around. I will come and see you once I have conferred with Michio."

"Of course, Byakuya-sama."

"And be sure that if Shima taicho accompanies you into your tent that you have your attendants in the tent at all times. We need to keep this proper!" Byakuya insisted.

"A proper lie," Kuri snickered under his breath, "This is why I find noble life so amusing."

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 _Welcome home, Aizen Sousuke, lord of the Daishima clan!_ a low voice hissed.

"Who are you?" Ichigo demanded, "What are you doing to him? Why is he like that?"

The mist around the two thickened and hissed menacingly. Aizen glanced from Ichigo to the encroaching mist, then back again.

"What is happening to my body?" he asked calmly, "It appears to have taken on a pure reiatsu form."

 _This is your mating form_ , the mist voice answered, _Have you chosen your mate then?_

Aizen paused, exchanging a meaningful glance with Ichigo.

"I have," he answered, returning his attention to the mist, "I assume by your presence and by your words that there is a ritual associated with this?"

 _There is. You must present him and he must be judged. Take his hand and touch it to the mist that surrounds you._

"Will Ichigo be harmed?" Aizen asked, frowning.

 _Only if he is not worthy._

"And who are you, to decide the worthiness of the Daishima heir's mate?" Aizen demanded, "Why should I trust you?"

The mist around the two thickened further and pressed in, hissing venomously. Aizen slipped a protective arm around Ichigo.

"We don't have any way to get out of here," Ichigo reasoned, "I think we have to do what it says."

"I don't think so," Aizen said in a deep, angry tone, swirling his reiatsu around the two of them.

He turned his attention back to the encroaching mist.

"Are you really just mist or do you have another form?" he asked.

 _I have another form_ , the voice informed him, _but you are not yet ready to see it. Take Shiba Ichigo's hand and touch it to the mist._

"And if I refuse?"

 _Then, you will not mate._

"Even if that means that the Daishima line will end?"

Aizen and Ichigo exchanged mystified glances as the mist hissed more loudly still, but gave no answer.

"I don't think this is working," Ichigo said, studying the thick mist, "It seems pretty intent on us doing what it says."

"And if you are killed, I will not choose another," Aizen said firmly, "This is the only path forward."

Ichigo nodded.

"You seem pretty sure about that," he said, offering Aizen his hand, "I guess we're doing this."

Aizen went silent for several minutes, carefully considering. He studied the thick, golden reiatsu that made up his changed body, then focused his dangerous eyes on Ichigo. Very slowly, he accepted Ichigo's hand.

"Very well," he said finally, "if you feel so inclined. I hope that we are making the right decision, Ichigo."

"Me too," Ichigo agreed.

Watching the mist closely, Aizen guided Ichigo's hand to the mist. For a moment, Ichigo only felt the coolness of the mist around his hand, then the mist voice spoke again.

 _Your instincts serve you well, Aizen Sousuke._

The two men stared in surprise as Ichigo's body suddenly brightened and began to take on the same golden form as Aizen's.

 _You may proceed with your mating._

"What? Here?" Ichigo exclaimed, "I'm not doing _that_ in front of some thing that hides itself and watches us like that."

"A moment ago, you were saying you thought we had no choice but to go along with it. I don't think we are getting out of this chamber unless we comply," Aizen reasoned.

"So, you're just going to let this…this _voice_ tell us what to do? We don't even know whose voice it is!"

"No, we don't," Aizen agreed, "But, we are in the house of the Daishima family and this place, this spirit has acknowledged that I am the heir. It has accepted you as my mate."

"So it says," Ichigo agreed, "But how do we know it's not some kind of trick?"

Aizen shrugged.

"There is no way to tell," he answered calmly, "But there is also no other way forward. Have you noticed? Our powers have been negated."

"They what?" Ichigo said, looking alarmed, and quickly examining his golden body, "You're right! What the hell?"

 _Do not become agitated_ , the mist voice warned him, _You are in no danger here. Proceed._

Ichigo scowled and started to give a heated reply, but stopped as Aizen touched his arm in a gesture of warning. At his touch, Ichigo felt a sudden, powerful hunger rumble in his spirit core and he turned his head and met Aizen's golden eyes.

"You feel it too," Aizen said quietly, "It is… _compelling_."

"But, what is it?" Ichigo asked, closing his eyes for a moment to cool the burning in them.

"You don't know?" Aizen asked, looking surprised, "I would think that it would have been explained to you, you being identified as an heir of the Shiba house.

Ichigo let out an agitated breath.

"They never let up about responsibilities, getting me married off and having babies, stuff like that. But what does all of that have to do with us? I mean, I know what we're expected to do, but I don't get what this reaction I'm having has to do with me being an heir."

"It's not precisely about you being an heir," Aizen went on, "You know, Byakuya probably should have said something to you about the old process that noble families once used for deciding how to pair their offspring."

Ichigo gave him a look of confusion.

"An old ritual? For…?"

"For choosing who their children would marry," Aizen explained, "Long ago, before the more current tradition of arranging marriages to secure alliances and to manipulate status took hold, there used to be a ceremony that took place every year. The noble lords and ladies would present their single adult children and the group would be given a drink containing a compound that would lower their normal soul barriers so that their souls could touch the others around them. While affected by that compound, the offspring were freed to experience their levels of resonance with other revealed souls. Souls that resonated strongly were paired and married."

"Byakuya never told me about that," Ichigo mused.

He furrowed his golden brow for a moment.

"Or maybe he did, but there was so much I was taking in, I didn't remember.," he added, "But, you say that this was how resonance was discovered? By removing the soul barriers? Is…is that like what's happening to us now?"

Aizen nodded, his lips curving upward in appreciation.

"The test we were subjected to was a test of our resonance," he concluded.

Ichigo scowled.

"And what do you think would have happened if we didn't resonate?" he asked confrontationally.

"I think the spirit in that mist might have tried to kill you," Aizen offered, "Not that I would have allowed it."

"You say that like you're still in control here," Ichigo said skeptically.

Aizen gave him a sly smile.

"I think there are some balances in play here," he commented cryptically, "However, now that you have been accepted, I think the time has come for us to carry out our task."

Ichigo's scowl deepened.

"In front of that mist…spirit…thing?" he complained, "That wasn't part of the deal!"

"Try to forget about the spirit in the mist," Aizen suggested, "You have been accepted. We are in no danger…"

"So that thing tells us," Ichigo argued, "But with Tetsuya nearly being murdered in front of Kuri and all of the threats, how do you know we can trust this thing not to do anything…weird? Or dangerous?"

"It isn't a matter of trust," Aizen assured him, "This is an ancient spirit, sealed in a pocket dimension."

"Yeah, and maybe it's trying to get out," Ichigo said accusingly, "You said that these pocket dimensions were used to imprison dangerous monsters."

"This is not a monster," Aizen said with certainty, "It has more the feel of an aged spirit, but I do not sense any ill intent. And remember, if it wanted us dead, it would have tried to kill us already."

"Maybe it's going to use us and then kill us."

"Use us to accomplish what exactly?"

"I don't know," Ichigo said impatiently, "Maybe it'll take over our kid's body…or yours or mine! How am I supposed to know?"

"It would have tried to take over our bodies already. And if it wanted the child, why the test?"

I have no idea!" Ichigo snapped, "It's a monster. I can't read its mind!"

"This is not a monster, Ichigo," Aizen said firmly, "And whatever objections we have, there is no leaving this room until it decides to let us go. I have already sensed the forces keeping us here. And we are without access to our powers. This is beyond our power to overcome."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" Ichigo fumed, "Because it doesn't! I don't like someone forcing me to perform like some caged monkey! I WANT OUT OF THIS PLACE NOW!"

 _Shiba Ichigo_ , the voice in the mist said sternly, _Listen to your instincts. Listen carefully. What do they tell you?_

"They tell me not to trust misty freaks who want to watch while me and my…erm, while _Aizen_ and I have sex! I'm not having sex in front of you!"

 _We are not souls like you_ , the mist voice explained, _We have no interest in your sexual activity beyond the making of the heir. We will not watch, but will assist in crafting the heir's soul._

"That sounds kinda shady," Ichigo said suspiciously.

He flinched and pressed closer to Aizen as the mist closed in and began to curl around their gilded bodies. He tried to object as the mist spread out across his golden skin licking the smooth surfaces, and the two men felt stronger throbs of connection and sexual hunger.

"What's happening?" Ichigo asked in a panicked tone, "What is that thing doing to us?"

"I don't think it's doing anything anymore," Aizen theorized, "Ichigo, I think this is because our barriers are down and we are vulnerable to the resonance between us."

Ichigo let out a piqued breath, placing his hands on Aizen's shoulders and holding him away.

"Look," he said, shifting uncomfortably, "I did say that I would make this baby with you, but I just don't know if I can…do that this way!"

"Ichigo," Aizen replied, his golden gaze entrancing the younger man and sending powerful, electric twinges through his loins, "You must feel the truth by now. There is no other way for us. The time has come. _Our_ time has come. I willed you into existence, brought you to life and shaped you as you matured. I had no idea at the time, but I begin to see."

"What do you see?" Ichigo asked breathlessly.

Aizen's lips crashed headlong into Ichigo's, making a brilliant red, gold and orange firestorm erupt in the stunned younger man's mind. He barely heard the Daishima heir's next whispered words.

"Ichigo, make love to me now."

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Byakuya watched apprehensively as Michio carefully examined him, then drew blood and reiatsu samples. He held back saying anything, but felt a twinge of worry as the healer opened his yukata and examined his abdomen and spirit centers more closely. Michio's expression remained calm and businesslike, but Byakuya was sure that he felt a slight quiver in the old man's hands as he closed Byakuya's yukata and straightened.

"Well? Do you know what has caused the change in my reiatsu?"

"I believe I do," the old healer said, frowning, "I don't know how to say this delicately, but, Byakuya-sama, you appear to have inherited a Breeder ability yourself."

"I have," Byakuya managed, blinking in surprise, "I am a…?"

"A Breeder male," the healer repeated, "I think it is possible that you and Tetsuya-san may share a direct ancestor with the ability.

"But my father was not…" Byakuya objected, his face paling.

Another jolt of realization struck and Byakuya's already pale skin went white as a sheet. Michio gave him a sympathetic smile.

"The ability has been known to hide within a bloodline and skip generations," he explained, "And you wouldn't have learned of it if Hisana-sama had been able to bear you children and you hadn't…ahem…erm, _been with_ another male."

Byakuya stiffened, his mind freezing for a moment as Kenpachi's cocky voice echoed in his mind.

 _"So, did you get Ichigo settled in?" the big man asked conversationally._

 _"Yes. I do not know how long it will be before I have to return to confirm the success of their mating, but…"_

 _"Oh, I think we'll know when those two have been successful in their mating," Kenpachi snickered, "We worked up a pretty good storm when we went to bed together. They're stronger. I hope that mansion's made out of some strong stuff."_

 _"You are disgusting," Byakuya snapped, scowling, "It is hard to believe that I could possibly have…"_

 _"What? Had sex with me?" Kenpachi laughed, "Oh, I guarantee you, we did have sex."_

 _"I know we did, you moron, but I didn't know what I was doing!"_

 _"Oh yeah, you did!" Kenpachi insisted, "We got the deed done, didn't we?"_

Byakuya put a hand to his forehead, sickness welling up inside as the truth came crashing down on him.

"Byakuya-sama, are you all right?" Michio asked in a concerned tone.

 _That night, I had sex with Kenpachi while we were battle damaged and witless…_

 _We made a child!_

He heard Michio speak to him, but couldn't make sense of the words as the feeling of illness overwhelmed him and he flash stepped out of the tent, heading down to a stream, where he collapsed onto his knees, retching into the bushes.

"What the hell, Kuchiki?" Kenpachi's amused voice called out, "What's the matter with you? You're puking like a pregnant girl."

Stars dancing in front of his enraged eyes and unable to speak, Byakuya threw his response into a ferocious punch that Kenpachi caught with one hand as the noble collapsed at his feet.

"Holy hell…" Kenpachi mused.

"Ahem," Michio said uncertainly, his eyes fixing on the two men as reiatsu glowed around Kenpachi's hands and leaked into Byakuya's unconscious form, "Oh my. Are you perhaps…the _father_?"


	7. Meant to Be

**Chapter 7: Meant To Be**

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 **(Thanks going out to Ctofi1 (You are so very welcome! I hope you like the new chapter too!), ShadowEndowedNiceties (I work hard to keep everyone in character and this chapter proved to be one that was challenging and fun to write with Aizen giving in to Ichigo, but still remaining his usual, powerful, wicked self. He has depths that will be explored, as will Ichigo. There is so much going on in this one. I will definitely have more soon!), Lil'peahen123 (There will be more Kenpachi next chapter, as this one focused on Aizen and Ichigo's joining, so it took the whole chapter to get the deed done. But we'll have more of Byakuya's reaction after Aizen is settled and recovering.), Yukino76 (Oh, you will like Kenpachi's reaction...in the chapter after this. This one required a single focus, but in the next, other elements will come back in.), Tmp3475 (Ah, Ichigo is really uncomfortable with things, but he will be surprised at what happens as he and Aizen join...), Jaundrie (Although Byakuya's reaction was interrupted by the events in this chapter, it will continue in the next. More fireworks ahead!), MsKurumi (So glad to provide some good reading for you!), Hisuiryuu (We'll pick up with Kenny and Bya in the next chapter. There were other explosions happening in this one!), and Gemnika (Thanks so much! More funny Kenny/Bya in the next chapter.), Enjoy the new chapter! Cheers, Spunky)**

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 _I'd have thought that the gold we were made into or at least Aizen's colder personality would have made us feel cold when we touched this way_ , Ichigo mused, reeling at the powerful kisses that assaulted his parted lips.

And being kissed so fiercely, he couldn't help but return them with equal enthusiasm.

 _He's warm._

 _Everywhere we are touching…our lips and tongues, our arms and thighs. And yes, even there._

 _He's hard and it feels so incredibly hot!_

 _He wants me._

 _Aizen wants me with something that feel like madness._

 _I can feel everything in his kiss. I'm not stupid. I know that when he speaks, he often tells lies. And he can spin powerful illusions. So, is what I feel coming from him just another lie? An illusion to make me do what he wants? But why would he want this? Why would he let me inside him? Everyone thinks he's doing it because he's backed into a corner, but I don't know. His kisses are so hungry…almost desperate. I peeked and saw his eyes. They looked back at me like he wants me with a ferocity that he can barely control._

 _He said that he made me._

 _He controlled the factors that led to my mom being infected with the hollow, White's, reiatsu. He watched me as I grew, and he manipulated Rukia so that I would be forced to fight for her and to grow stronger. He watched each of my battles, and I know his eyes must have looked like they do now…aggressive, wanting, desiring, passionate. When you're making a dream come to life, that's how your eyes look. The way his hands are caressing me is the way you touch something when you can barely believe that it's real. I was furious when he first told me that he manipulated everything to create me._

 _But now…_

Gravity seemed to suddenly release the two, and their bodies left the ground. They turned and swayed weightlessly as their bodies entwined and their hands searched and caressed, their lips crashed together and parted, their mouths tasted and explored.

 _If it had crossed my mind to ever imagine Aizen as a lover, I would have expected him to be a cruel one…a selfish one, out for his own pleasure at the expense of the person he was with. And I would never have expected the cruel and wicked Aizen Sousuke to really fall in love. That's just not possible. Someone like him, someone who never trusts, just couldn't experience true love, because true love is all about trust. It's about letting down barriers and revealing all of yourself. Aizen couldn't do something like that…right?_

 _But, here he is. His lips are smiling while they touch mine and while they kiss my most sensitive places. His hands feel like they're treasuring something sacred. But what would be sacred to a man who would betray everyone he knows and slay the soul king? This is all so strange._

 _So…_

Ichigo felt Aizen's commanding eyes focus on his face and a blush roared across his flesh at the hint of expectation. It struck him forcefully then, what he was expected to do.

 _I am supposed to touch him, to prepare him to be penetrated. I can't imagine Aizen Sousuke making himself vulnerable to anyone! Why me? Why did he choose me? Why did he make me? Why is all of this happening?_

 _I can't make my hands move to touch him there._

 _I can't!_

"Relax, Ichigo," Aizen's voice purred erotically in his flushed ear, "Proceed slowly if you need to. I understand this is uncomfortable for you."

"Uncomfortable," Ichigo managed in a slightly choked voice, "Try terrifying."

Aizen's expression turned decidedly more wicked.

"You know exactly how close you are to death, don't you?" Aizen breathed onto the flesh of this throat as he teased the sensitive surface, "Would you be surprised to know that I have the same reflex?"

"What?"

"As easily as I could kill you, you could also kill me," Aizen reflected, "We are in a state of balance. That is…intoxicating."

"The difference is that you know I won't hurt you," Ichigo said skeptically, "I know you wouldn't hesitate to kill me."

"Then, why haven't I done that?" Aizen asked, an edge of impatience invading his voice, "Ichigo, I told you why I chose to accept this. I have no reason to kill you when you are the only person I would allow to touch me sexually."

Ichigo gave him a dark look.

"It could have been that you wanted me because you wanted revenge. How better to get it than to convince me to let down my guard with you, then murder me before anything happens?"

"And what then?" Aizen pointed out, "I am not immortal, Ichigo. I am still powerful, but if I chose to slay you, even if I was able to escape from here, I cannot recreate the hougyoku."

"You can't?" Ichigo asked, frowning, "Why not?"

"You have killed the source of one of the necessary ingredients," Aizen confessed.

"What?" Ichigo exclaimed.

"I am surprised it never occurred to you. The power of the hougyoku bore a resemblance in its power to that of the quincy king, or didn't you notice?"

"I never thought about it before," Ichigo admitted, "But now that you mention it…"

"Ywach made himself known to me long ago. He was the one person who knew exactly what a threat I was, and he had foreseen that helping me to achieve my desires would also help him to achieve his."

Ichigo felt a heady jolt in his loins at the more aroused look that came into Aizen's dangerous golden eyes.

"I didn't ever imagine that he was helping me to destroy my own plans, but also to find the one person who could cause me to abandon my own plans without regret."

"Huh?"

Aizen's hungry smile sent a shiver down Ichigo's spine.

" _You_ , Ichigo. Ywach knew that with his help, I would create you. You would take my focus off of him so that I wouldn't oppose him, it would weaken the Gotei 13 so that his conquest would happen much more easily and I would be contained. He knew that by giving me my dream come to life, that one person I would even accept inside me, he could assure his victory."

"He wasn't expecting me to beat him," Ichigo mused, "He expected to kill me and win."

"And he would have enjoyed torturing me for all eternity with how my own dream would have turned into my worst nightmare."

"What does that mean?" Ichigo asked breathlessly, "You tried to kill me yourself when we fought! Now, you say you didn't want me to die?"

"Ichigo, think about what I told you…about why I kept Gin close to me, even knowing that the man was an enemy who was waiting for the perfect moment to kill me. I do not fear having someone close to me that could kill me. I also know that the best way to force someone to evolve is to be a threat to their life. I threatened your life, knowing exactly how much to push to make you evolve without killing you."

Ichigo let out a flustered breath.

"It didn't feel like you were holding back," he mused.

"I wasn't," Aizen confessed, "I didn't have to. You were that strong. And I was so wrapped up in appreciating how the collisions of our power were forcing both of us to evolve, I missed the fact that Urahara Kisuke was only waiting for his moment to step in and seal me away."

"So, you're saying that I won because I distracted you?"

"Yes. Your last attack did not disable me. It only weakened me briefly and gave Kisuke his opportunity. If it had just been you and me…"

"I would have lost."

Aizen nodded.

"But just as the quincy king underestimated the value of your friendships, I did the same. And that is why I was in that prison. You must see then, to be given, not just my freedom, but a connection with you that will stay with me, even if you choose to leave after this…that is not an unwelcome thing."

Ichigo stared back at Aizen wordlessly as the strange golden light of their reiatsu forms resonated all around them.

"I confess that as much as my heart never knew how to love anyone else, I feel undeniable love for you, Ichigo."

"Aizen Sousuke could never really love anyone," Ichigo said reflexively.

"No one," Aizen agreed in a deeply serious tone, "except for you. That is why I will let you penetrate me. I won't kill you, Ichigo. I will embrace whatever you are willing to offer. If all you give me are the children that will secure my freedom, then so be it, but if you will remain with me and return my affections…

 _It's impossible._

 _Aizen Sousuke falling in love with me?_

 _It doesn't make sense. At least, if it was anyone else, it wouldn't. But Aizen isn't like anyone else. And what he says makes sense when it's applied to him. He can be cruel. He can be wicked. He can lie and he can kill without conscience. But even Aizen has desires and needs. And somehow, his desires are being fed…by me._

 _What do I feel for him?_

 _I'm so used to not trusting him, so used to being angry at what he does. I don't know how to react to him confessing that he loves me. But then, he knows I'm confused. He's being quiet now, giving me time to think. He's not forcing me to act or trying to confuse me more. He's watching me with those eyes…those eyes that seem to see everything. And I want to…I want to sink into them and know everything about him. No one knows him, really knows him. And he is inviting me inside. He wants me to see. I won't lie and say it's not dangerous. He could kill me in a second! But, I can't think about that while he's looking at me like this. It's making my heart pound so hard, making me dizzy._

 _I want…_

Ichigo gave in to a harder bout of kisses, his blush intensifying as Aizen's hand captured his and brought it to his lips. He gazed raptly as Aizen's mouth opened and wrapped around three of his fingers, bathing them in furious heat and moisture before releasing them slowly. Wordlessly, he guided Ichigo's hand downward, smiling at the younger man's widened eyes and shocked expression. He felt stronger throbs of arousal as he brought Ichigo's fingers closer to that place no other had dared to intrude. Ichigo, too, suffered wicked twinges of anticipation and he closed his eyes, feeling his way downward and stopping just short of his destination. For a long, breathless moment, he waited, and the two men stared into each other's gilded eyes.

Then, his fingers made contact and everything around him seemed to be instantly engulfed in tongues of golden flame. Ichigo's breaths burned in his chest as his fingers intruded, then began to move. Aizen's breath caught audibly and Ichigo almost stopped.

"Don't!" Aizen panted, "Keep going."

He forced his frozen fingers to move, reeling at the intensity of Aizen's reaction. Hands that had never sought comfort, reached out for him and held him tightly. Fingers that had never needed to hang on to anyone, clenched at his skin, raking the surface as Aizen's breaths shortened and he panted erotically against Ichigo's shoulder. Melting heat swelled around them, and Ichigo felt the chilling shard of the truth all through his insides.

 _I've never been closer to dying than this. There is no safety net. If he kills me, no one will save me this time. If he kills me, it's the end!_

But even that thought couldn't stop his hands from moving or his mouth from finding Aizen's and possessing it forcefully. A shiver went through him as he heard the other man's thoughts as though he had spoken them aloud.

 _Ah, finally, you are releasing your passions!_

He forgot for a moment how dangerous Aizen Sousuke was, how he had betrayed and manipulated everyone. All he could see was how he was through the man's barriers and causing reactions in him that he never would have allowed anyone else. His lips couldn't help but kiss harder and the hand not busied with preparations explored and caressed Aizen's naked, golden body shamelessly. Sliding over a muscular breast, pausing to trace an erect, flushed nipple, then sliding down along his slim torso and curling around his writhing bottom. He held on firmly as he shifted into position to join their bodies, then Ichigo froze all over again at the wanton look that had entered Aizen's golden eyes.

"What are you waiting for?" Aizen asked, frowning, "There is only one path for us now. Go on, Ichigo. I gave you life. I want you to return that gift."

Ichigo let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding. He breathed in raggedly, holding himself just shy of entering the other man and locking their eyes together.

"I can't make you any promises about what will happen after this," Ichigo managed in a thick, unusually husky voice, "But while you are carrying your heirs, I'll protect you. I give you my word, I won't let anyone hurt you or the babies."

Aizen's lips thinned slightly in reaction, but he nodded and relaxed in Ichigo's arms.

"Thank you."

Ichigo kept his focus on Aizen's lusty eyes as he touched gently, then began to join their bodies in short, careful thrusts. As his body was breached, the Daishima heir's mouth opened and he sucked in a deep breath. His eyes went hazy and his lips smiled. With each movement, Ichigo felt the danger increase. Sweat broke out on his forehead and his thighs quivered. The two men groaned in surrender as the last resistance gave way and Ichigo found himself entrenched completely in Aizen's body.

 _Hot!_

 _He's so hot inside!_

He was grateful for the moment of quiet, of motionless, of just pure connection as he allowed Aizen's body to adjust to the invasion. Aizen's cheek brushed against Ichigo's, then he claimed Ichigo's lips and moved his hips slightly to indicate his readiness. Ichigo blushed at how his own body seemed to take over, defying his fears and plunging in deeply, surrendering to the powerful desire to sate itself. The two men began a flurry of fierce undulations and powerful, biting kisses. Their reiatsu roared hotly around the two, gathering their energies and slowly working to bind them.

 _I can't stop looking at his face_ , Ichigo thought wonderingly, _The way he's looking at me is…it's…_

 _I've never seen him wear that expression before. It's probably the only time I'll ever see it. I'm not going to be with him. This is just…_

 _This is just…_

 _It's…_

But the reality of what was happening seemed to fall over him with added weight as he continued to take his pleasure of Aizen's body. He couldn't get enough of the man's soft, smirking lips, of the muscular, trim body that held so much power inside, of the soft hair he found his fingers buried in, and the intoxicating feel of danger wrapped all around him.

 _He is beautiful…wickedly beautiful._

 _Oh god! Am I falling in love with him?_

 _Could I be falling in love with Aizen Sousuke?_

He tried again to tell himself that he was only doing what he had to, for the sake of the Seireitei, for the safety of his family and friends…for any other reason than the one that was in front of him. But he couldn't watch Aizen's lithe, glowing body throw itself so wildly against his, hear his panting, heated moans as their pleasure rose and began to crest, and not feel the undeniable connection that had opened up between them.

 _This is it._

 _I can feel it like I never felt anything before. I'm not just giving him my seed, I'm making lives with him. Even if I walk away, I'll never leave him again. That is the price of taking this step with Aizen Sousuke._

 _But I can't be sad or scared or anything else. I can't be angry and I can't resist. As much as I'm inside him, he's inside me now_

… _forever…_

Ichigo heard Aizen gasp and felt his fingers dig in painfully. His own body stiffened in reaction and he felt a sensation like nothing he had ever felt in his life. His senses were overwhelmed and he heard himself make a ringing sound of surrender that sounded nothing like him. He remained entranced as pleasure erupted through his entire shaking body, leaving him in scathing pulses and causing Aizen's body to stiffen and shudder uncontrollably against his.

His mouth found Aizen's and they kissed more tenderly, panting hard and quivering with the last spasms of completion, before slowly calming as their golden color began to fade from their entwined bodies, and they were slowly lowered onto the chamber floor. All of the light seemed to die around them, leaving them naked and holding onto each other, unable to see as they blinked and stared at the blackness.

Ichigo pulled free of Aizen's body and a sound of dismay escaped him as the Daishima heir uttered a sound of pain and surprise and collapsed. He wrapped an arm around Aizen's exhausted form, half dragging him back to the door. He pulled the barely conscious man out of the pocket dimension and knelt beside him in the chamber just outside.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

He looked more closely, fear rising in his chest as he realized that Aizen wasn't responding to his touch.

"Aizen Sousuke?" he called urgently, "Sousuke, wake up!"

He heard a footstep nearby and raised himself, holding Aizen against him and glaring at the intruder warningly.

"Get outta here! Leave us alone!"

"Ichigo," Byakuya's voice said soothingly, "I felt your reiatsu and I suspected it might be like this. I have cleared a path to his sleeping chamber and only his personal healer and attendants will be with you. Come."

Ichigo swallowed hard, blushing at their nakedness, although he knew Byakuya well enough to have been comfortable with him.

"Are you all right?" Byakuya asked in a concerned tone, "I was not aware that you were going to see to the mating so soon."

"We didn't either," Ichigo explained, looking down at Aizen's face worriedly, "We were exploring the place and we went into this room. There was a pocket dimension and a spirit of some kind was in there. It said it was there to test me. I seemed to pass its test and it sort of took over and we…we uh…"

"I see," Byakuya said, mercifully ending his explanation, "That explains his unconsciousness. Do not worry. Aizen Sousuke's body is just shutting down unnecessary systems to gather and begin rendering your seed and reiatsu. He will wake soon and require food. You should use the time to bathe and dress before you are seen like this."

Ichigo followed Byakuya through what appeared to be a hidden, inner hallway that led into the master bedroom. He laid Aizen in bed and ducked into the bathroom, where he bathed quickly and donned a soft yukata. He returned to the bedroom and found Byakuya watching as his healer examined the Daishima heir carefully.

"Congratulations," Michio announced, "The next Daishima heirs have been seeded successfully."

"Um, great," Ichigo said shakily.

Byakuya studied him for a moment.

"Ichigo, your part in this is done. You have seen to your commitment. Aizen Sosuke did not ask for any more than this. You may leave if you do not prefer to be included from this point."

Ichigo's eyes remained glued on Aizen's resting form.

"I'm fine right here," he said solemnly, "I'll stay with him. And it is my job to help protect him, now that he's going to be powerless."

Byakuya gave him a measured look.

"Very well. Then, if you are going to stay, please allow me to show you how to balance his reiatsu with the childrens'."


	8. Hell in the Belly

**Chapter 8: Hell in the Belly**

Byakuya stepped out of Aizen's bedroom and found his clan healer waiting in the hallway. The old man fell in at his side and the two headed past several marble statues that lined the white hallway, ending in the dark wood paneled entry to the mansion. Byakuya observed the old man briefly, out of the corner of one grey eye, considering his words carefully before speaking to him.

"It seems that Ichigo was successful in impregnating Aizen Sousuke."

"So it seems," Michio agreed tentatively, "And it is fortunate that I was able to sense several unique clusters, at least four, if my senses were correct."

"That is good," Byakuya agreed, "Although, he is still required to provide seven heirs."

"Well, we weren't expecting him to have them all at once," the old man chuckled.

"No, I suppose not. I am concerned, however, that an occurrence of multiple births may embolden his enemies to move against him as soon as at least two children are born."

"There is a lot of hatred for that man," Michio sighed.

"I would say that he has earned much, if not all of it," Byakuya said darkly, "but no one has the right to interfere with him anymore. He is a clan leader. As soon as he has at least one heir, he will be fully freed to enjoy the comforts and privileges that go along with that."

"Which is why some will want to kill him."

"Yes."

Michio glanced up at Byakuya as the Kuchiki leader opened the door leading out of the house and waited for him to pass through, then followed.

"Byakuya-sama, if I may change the subject, how are you feeling now? You were barely functional when the reiatsu swells from Aizen-sama and Ichigo-sama brought you hurrying over here. We haven't really had time to talk over, erm, eh…wh-what we discovered."

"I feel fine physically," Byakuya answered, stepping off of the porch and onto the pathway leading to the guard camp, "although, I can feel that my reiatsu has already declined. I am not comfortable, being without my powers, especially at such a crucial time. But, there is nothing I can do. I shall just have to keep Torio and Akio close to me…you as well."

"Yes sir. Of course I will make sure I am constantly nearby. But I was also asking how you are coping with the…erm, the…well…"

"You mean the fact that the Kuchiki heir has been fathered by a hare-brained, violent barbarian while he and I were both battle-drunk and out of our minds?" Byakuya inquired dryly, "I wish I could forget. I have no idea how I will broach the subject with the elders. They will probably have me assassinated."

"Oh, my boy, I don't think they will go that far," Michio chuckled.

"No," Byakuya sighed wearily, "They will be shocked…disapproving. But they will also be thankful there is to be an heir. I did not want to get married again after Hisana, and they knew it. Now, assuming the elders react as I expect, I will be able to avoid remarriage. I do not imagine they will even ask me to marry Kenpachi."

"And you are sure this is what you want also?" Michio asked cautiously.

Byakuya gave him a startled look.

"Oh, I didn't mean to suggest anything improper," the healer added swiftly.

"But?" Byakuya prompted him.

"W-well, it's just that Zaraki taichou seemed unexpectedly pleased at the idea that he is going to be a father."

"You informed him about the baby?" Byakuya asked, frowning.

"No, actually," Michio said, laughing nervously, "I suppose you might not recall, because you did pass out, but ah…"

"But _what_?" Byakuya asked stridently.

"B-but you, yourself gave things away when you vomited and yelled an accusation, then took a swing at him and fainted in front of him. I was following, but arrived after you had collapsed and I saw the light of resonance between you and inquired if he was the father."

"Well, if you did not inform him, you at least confirmed it for him," Byakuya sighed, "But you say that he seemed… _approving_?"

"Yes, to be honest," the healer answered, "I admit, it took me aback a little. I suppose it does you also?"

"Yes," Byakuya mused, "He focuses so much of his attention on fighting that I merely assumed that he would brush off a child and good riddance."

"It wasn't that way at all," Michio assured him, "Zaraki taichou was smiling and saying, well, that your baby would, in his words, _be the prettiest damned little bruiser_ the Seireitei has ever seen."

"That sounds very much like something he would say."

"He seemed to accept the situation with a certain amount of flippancy."

"Likely, because Kenpachi will not be lifting a finger to help raise the child," Byakuya concluded.

"What're you talking about?" Kenpachi asked, stepping out in front of the two men as they arrived at the guard outpost near the Daishima mansion, "I knocked you up. I'm gonna do right by you."

Byakuya paused and gave him a scathing look.

"And how exactly will you do that?" he asked sarcastically, "I hope you are not suggesting that you are going to ask for my hand in marriage."

"What?" Kenpachi spat, "You think I need to be locked up in that fancy-pants house of yours with old men telling me what to wear, how to talk, when, where and how much to piss, like they do to you?"

Byakuya scowled and his dark grey eyes glinted with impending mayhem.

"If you don't intend to marry me, then how exactly will you _do right by_ me? I do not need money to raise the child and I do not want you teaching our offspring to look for trouble, start fights and forget to bathe until the stench is unimaginable."

Kenpachi's teeth clenched and his reiatsu flared around him.

"Hey, you fuckin' little priss! Both you and me are fighters _and_ taichous, so you can damned well bet that our kid is going to be one too. Also, I don't just start fights, I finish'em. And I take a goddamned bath every day. I just work up a sweat while I'm fighting, so shut your fuckin' mouth about the stink. You don't smell so pretty after you've been up to your ass in hollows either! And I don't have slaves to wash my smelly ass for me when I'm too tired to do it myself. When I said I'd do right by you, I guess I meant it was the kid I'd do for, since the kid is gonna be surrounded by people like you, finding fault with'em all of the time and making'em think they have to jump through all of those shiny hoops that you do. I'll teach the kid to kick ass and not to listen to those stuck up pussies so they won't have their mind twisted into self-hating little knots like yours! You should be glad for that."

"What I'd be glad for is you staying far away from me and the child I am carrying!" Byakuya snapped furiously.

"Ahem," Michio said tentatively, "Gentlemen, I am sorry to interrupt, but I should point out that with the _activities_ going on here at Daishima Manor as well as the general unease with Aizen Sousuke's release, this may not be the best time for Byakuya-sama to be unprotected. While without your powers…"

"Huh?" Kenpachi mused, "Did you say that Kuchiki's lost his powers?"

"Well, y-yes. That is because of his gestation. He will regain them after the child's birth, so…"

"So, me knockin' Byakuya up left him without him being able to protect himself. Is that what you're saying?"

"I believe that was the gist of it," Byakuya said dryly, "But do not worry. I have staff…"

"What staff?" Kenpachi argued, "You mean that sweet little cupcake that usually guards you, but can't because someone already tried to kill him? Byakuya, I don't wanna piss you off while your petals are soft or anything, but you need to think about protecting yourself and our kid. I knocked you up and I've got powers. Let me do it."

"You cause more damage just being in a place than you could ever protect me from!" Byakuya seethed, his face and throat flushing, "I need to stay out of harm's way, not have harm brought down on my head!"

"Now, that's not nice, Kuchiki."

"But it is true," Byakuya said, shaking his head, "Kenpachi, you do not want any part of this, so just leave it to me. I will surround myself with competent staff and when the baby comes, I will allow you to see the child as often as you wish. Let us just be reasonable about this and…"

"HEY!" Kenpachi shouted, grabbing Byakuya by the front of his clothing and pulling him forward so that their noses were nearly touching, "I'm the kid's goddamned father and I think that entitles me to more than just a visit now and then."

"You do not want the child to live with you…where? At your division? Do you even _have_ a home suitable for a baby or a child?"

"Naw, I don't. I guess I'll have to let you take care of that part. But once the kid's training, I'll take'em to my squad and give'em an appreciation for fighting they won't forget."

"You will do _no such thing_ with the Kuhciki heir!" Byakuya insisted, "This child will be our clan's leader someday. He or she does not belong out in your training field, learning to be a lumbering, mindless killing machine!"

"Better a killing machine than a stuck up, spoiled little pansy-ass like you and yours!"

"How dare you!" Byakuya raged, lunging forward in a flurry of hard kicks and swift strikes.

Michio gasped and stepped back cautiously while Kenpachi blocked his comrades enraged attacks, wearing an annoyed expression.

"Kuchiki! Hey, get a grip! One flicker of my reiatsu'll drop you in your tracks. Knock it off! It's not fair if I can't hit you back cause you're carrying!"

"Don't-you-ever-speak-about-my-family-that-way-you-overgrown-filthy-monkey!" Byakuya said, striking with each word.

"Cut it out!" Kenpachi roared, "I'm gonna drop you."

"Not before I show you what happens to arrogant beasts who attack my family's honor with…!"

Kenpachi rolled his eyes and raised his reiatsu until Byakuya stiffened, then collapsed at his feet, leaving Michio staring, open-mouthed.

"Oh my…" he managed.

"Sorry about that," Kenpachi chuckled, lifting the unconscious noble and tossing him over a muscular shoulder, "Let's get him into his tent and let him sleep it off for a while. I'll keep an eye on Aizen's situation until he wakes up."

"Y-yes," the healer stammered, "I sup-p-pose that would be best."

Still sputtering and more than a little flustered, the old healer followed Kenpachi into the tent.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _This is odd._

 _It feels as though a weight lies upon my body,_ Aizen mused as consciousness slowly began to return to his resting form, _I can't seem to open my eyes to see where I am._

He felt a warm hand slip under his head and experienced a moment of fascination at his sheer and utter helplessness.

"Can you take a sip of this?" Ichigo's voice asked, "The healer said that although the infusions I'm giving you will balance your reiatsu with the babies', you need to eat and drink a lot to feed and hydrate all of you."

"Ichigo," he managed, flinching slightly at the pained sound of his own voice.

"Here, take a sip," Ichigo said, touching the cup to Aizen's lips.

 _I can't remember ever needing like this. Even when I was bound in Muken, I was awake and still had my powers. This is very different._

"Why am I like this? Is this normal for a breeder male who has just conceived?" he asked.

"The healer said that it's normal for very powerful…erm…p-parents. You should recover pretty quickly."

"That is good. I don't enjoy this."

He opened his eyes and fixed them on Ichigo's face.

 _Is that concern? For me? For the child?_

 _Wait…_

"A moment ago, you said _all of us_ ," Aizen remembered, blinking his large, sleepy eyes, "There is more than one child?"

"Yeah," Ichigo answered, a little flutter going through his insides, "Michio said that he sensed about four babies at least."

"Multiple births," Aizen mused.

"Be glad you're a guy," Ichigo laughed softly, "Michio said it's easier for breeder males during the births, although you will have some uncomfortable symptoms during the gestation. You tell me if you get to feeling uncomfortable and I'll relieve it. Michio showed me how."

"You do understand that you have met your obligation to me and you do not have to do this," Aizen reminded him, breathing in more deeply as warmth began to flood his body again, "While the infusions are best coming from the father, others can do them as well."

"Yeah, I know," Ichigo said, an edge of uncertainty in his voice, "I just…if I'm going to make kids, then I want what's best for them…and the person I make them with."

A sly smile crept onto Aizen's lips.

"A diplomatic answer," he reasoned, "expressing your desire to be a good father while remaining somewhat vague about your intentions regarding me."

"Well," Ichigo said, frowning thoughtfully, "maybe I haven't come to a decision about you yet."

Aizen considered his words carefully.

"I am absolutely a person about whom you _should_ be cautious," he concluded, "And while I am powerless at the moment, I will not be powerless forever. You and I have enough history to give you pause, knowing what I'm capable of."

"It doesn't mean that I didn't hear the things you told me," Ichigo explained.

"Of course," Aizen agreed, his dark brown eyes blinking slowly, "It is a lot to digest. Fortunately for us, my gestation will give you plenty of time for thought."

"Maybe," Ichigo pondered, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "but I'm pretty sure you already know it would be stupid to think that all of your enemies are just gonna wait to kill you until later. Even though the noble families think that the Daishima bloodline is important, a lot of them hate you enough not to let that stand in the way of killing you while you can't defend yourself. I'm not going to let that happen."

Aizen's smile warmed.

"You are being protective of me? How extraordinary to have someone do that."

The Daishima heir watched closely as Ichigo moved closer and laid gentle hands on his slim belly.

"It feels like your reiatsu is pretty much in balance with the babies' now," he reported, "But you will probably start to feel nauseous and maybe dizzy in a while. You can help things by eating. Are you hungry?"

The door to the bedroom opened and a young man with friendly green eyes entered the suite.

"This is Toshi," Ichigo explained as the attendant set a tray of hot food and tea in Aizen's lap, "He's my cousin, and he's also my attendant. He'll be helping out while I'm here."

"Toshi," Aizen greeted the attendant, "Thank you."

"It is no trouble, Aizen-sama," Toshi said, a touch of tension in his voice, "Is there anything I can bring for you?"

"No, thank you."

"You are welcome, Aizen-sama," the youth said, bowing, then exiting the room.

Ichigo watched quietly as Aizen began to address his meal, at first, eating slowly, then increasing in enthusiasm as the hot, savory food awakened his burgeoning hunger. A flicker of sympathy rose in his eyes as he realized.

 _While he was in Muken, he didn't have any food at all. They wanted him to be as weak as they could make him._

"Those are somber eyes," Aizen observed between bites of his food, "but you needn't waste your sympathy. Though I was, I admit, extremely hungry while a prisoner, I was able to use my illusions to comfort myself."

"Well, now you have the real thing," Ichigo said, smiling at him, "Isn't Matsuko's cooking great? She's worked for Byakuya's family for…"

"Over a hundred years," Aizen finished, "I agree she is a wonder. I had the good fortune of being a guest at Kuchiki Manor on occasion while I was a taichou. Well, Matsuko and some of Byakuya's most trusted staff will be here, helping out."

"Ah."

"Byakuya also found some references he thought would be useful," Ichigo said, indicating several thick volumes that sat on a nearby table, "He figured that your pregnancy would give us time to get more familiar with your family's history."

"You have been doing a bit of that yourself since the end of the quincy war, haven't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I have."

"I do have more than a few questions about my history, and I suppose if I am to understand the thinking of my enemies, I need to find the answers to some pressing questions…such as where exactly my family originated, how their history progressed and how the bloodline came to an end."

"Byakuya gave us some information already," Ichigo observed.

"Yes," Aizen agreed, turning his intense gaze on Ichigo, "But now we need to dig deeper and discover the answers to the Daishima family's deeper secrets."

"There are some people who are not going to like that, aren't there?"

"Yes," Aizen agreed, "and those people will be more than ready to kill to protect them."


	9. Suddenly Not So Alone

**Chapter 9: Suddenly Not Alone**

 **(I had a TON of requests for this one, so here you go! Lots more Aizen and other stories coming up. Just a quick request. The site is not answering me about the fact that chapter notifications are STILL not working over a week after the problem appeared. I have sent messages every day, and I would love it if any of you could send requests to support for them to fix this. Thanks a million! Love you all, Spunky)**

Submerged in a deep sleep, Aizen Sousuke's mind wandered through misted shadows, filled with haunting spectral images that peered at him through black eyes that reflected sharp, fireshot flashes of the past. He slowed in his steps, raising a hand to protect himself. But even with his eyes covered, he couldn't escape the painful flares of memory that closed in and began to wrap tightly around him.

 _What is this?_

 _I made peace with the past a long time ago, when I broke down the doors of Central 46 and rained hell down on the ones who took everything from me. I held the judges and sages in my thrall and delivered them the brutal deaths they so deserved._

 _His eyes opened suddenly and he tried to sit up, but found that he was heavily restrained on a medical cot with a needle in his arm. His head spun with the dizziness that the drug brought on, but he heard the nearby men's words clearly._

" _Test his spirit core again. Those can't possibly be the correct numbers. There isn't a child alive with reiatsu that massive. That would be ungodly."_

" _Then, it's ungodly," another male voice said, matter-of-factly, "Those are the numbers."_

" _Sweet kami, that just can't be."_

 _There as a long silence, then one of the voices spoke again._

" _You know the rules."_

 _There as another pause, then a sound of disgust._

" _He's a kid! Just a kid. I could make myself do in the older ones, but he's just a little boy."_

" _He's a freak and he's powerful enough to kill a lot of people. He's got to die."_

" _Fine, then you kill him. I'm not killing a kid!"_

 _He sucked in a breath, trying to scream, but even though he was aware, his body refused to move. He heard the footsteps of one of the men coming closer and felt a strange burning in his abdomen that flared into a harsh, blinding light. And as everything around him burned, he heard a whisper rise in his mind._

" _My name…is Kyouka Suigetsu."_

Aizen sat up suddenly, his brown eyes flying open and his heart pounding. It skipped painfully in his chest as the bed he was in moved and Ichigo's concerned voice sounded beside him.

"Hey, what's wrong? You were dead asleep, then…"

 _It's been a long time since I dreamed about that._

"I am fine," he said off-handedly, reaching for a cup of water on the nightstand.

He froze, staring in surprise and deeply aware that Ichigo was watching closely as his hand shook.

"How strange," Aizen mused, gazing intently at his quivering hand, "This is fear. I haven't felt it like this in a long time. I haven't needed to."

He noted the slightly haunted look on Ichigo's face and gave the younger man a warm smile.

"What's wrong?" he asked, lowering his hand so that Ichigo couldn't see that it was still shaking, "Does it bother you to see me fear death like a real person?"

"You were dreaming about dying?" Ichigo asked, the worry in his voice intensifying.

"I was dreaming about how the Central 46 scientists chosen to study me after my family was killed, learned of my ability and tried to euthanize me."

Ichigo's face paled at the admission, but his jaw stiffened against the emotion and he said nothing in reply.

"I didn't know yet that my family was dead," Aizen explained, "I was kept sedated for the testing they conducted, but even though there was no pain, I was terrified. I could hear the footsteps of the man who was approaching me to add the ingredient to the IV that would end my life. He didn't care that I had never done anyone any harm or that I was a child. To him, I was a freak monster that deserved to die."

He paused and looked into Ichigo's troubled eyes.

"You don't know what to think, do you?" Aizen asked, "You question, as they did, whether I would have been a good person if only they hadn't murdered my family and tried to kill me, or if the evil in me was always there and just waiting to come out. Isn't that right?"

"Yeah," Ichigo confessed, a sickly look overtaking his face, "That's exactly what I'm wondering."

Aizen nodded and gave him a look of understanding.

"It's distressing, isn't it?" he acknowledged, "The knowledge of what I've done does battle with your internal belief that madmen aren't just born that way. They are made. Unfortunately, we can't go back and see what would have happened. We have chosen our path and walked too far to turn back now. Whatever I was as a child, I am a monster now. So, try not to be distressed over what is out of our reach."

Ichigo managed a tentative smile.

"I'm not used to you admitting that you can't control everything," he said, bowing his head and looking away.

Aizen's palm slid under his chin and raised it so their eyes met. Ichigo's heart flickered in his chest at the odd feeling of strength that radiated in Aizen's powerless form.

"I can't change the past," Aizen said firmly, "but we are the ones who control our future, Ichigo. Those dead men I slaughtered couldn't have given my family back, even if they were still alive. I couldn't un-kill them after I took their lives. You shouldn't walk forward with your head turned and looking back. You will only cause yourself more pain when you trip over the future and fall even harder."

"Yeah," Ichigo said uneasily, "I guess you're right. I'm just angry because of what I saw in your past. It's bugged me ever since that day when we fought. And it's only bugging me more now every minute. I feel like something bad's going to happen."

"That's because it could," Aizen said evenly, "You and I know that, not only are there enemies who are plotting to kill me once I have the first child, other cowardly enemies will want to strike at me while I am powerless, regardless of the children I carry. It is the same mindless fear that led those others to try to kill me before I had done anything."

"I won't let anyone hurt you," Ichigo promised, surprising Aizen by slipping and warm hand into his.

The former taichou looked down at their joined hands in silence for a moment.

"How strange," Aizen said softly, "I have never been protected, not since my parents were murdered. After I escaped Central 46, I told myself that weakness was deserving of death, and that I needed to be stronger or I would be recaptured and I would die."

"And that sort of ballooned into everything else that happened," Ichigo said sadly, "Damn it!"

Aizen's eyes narrowed and he moved his face closer to the younger man's.

Extraordinary," he whispered, bringing his lips to Ichigo's, "You want to protect me, and I actually _want_ to be protected by you."

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya knelt silently on the bed in his tent outside the Daisuke home, trying not to clench his jaw as he rested his back against Kenpachi's partially revealed chest and watched the bigger man's warm hands slide over the already forming baby bump. More than a little flustered, he didn't know what to say as a surprisingly pleasant chuckle escaped Kenpachi, causing an odd little twinge in his belly as the baby's reiatsu flickered.

"Did you feel that, Kuchiki?" Kenpachi asked, grinning widely, "The kid knows my voice already.

"It is actually more your reiatsu that is familiar to them. Your voice stirs the reiatsu, causing the reaction we are sensing."

"Whatever," the big man laughed, "It means the kid knows his daddy."

"Lovely," Byakuya said dryly, blinking in surprise and touching his belly as the baby's reiatsu began to flicker again, this time at the sound of his voice.

"Aww, lookit that," Kenpachi drawled, "The kid knows his mommy too!"

"Don't you ever call me that," Byakuya snapped irascibly.

"Well, it's true, right? I'm not insulting you. Baby's in your belly. That makes you Mommy."

"You will simply refer to me as another _father_ ," the noble insisted.

"I guess, if it makes you feel better," Kenpachi snickered, "You know, you're glowing like a momma does."

Another snicker escaped him at the noble's withering glare.

"Your hair's even softer and smells sweeter," Kenpachi went on, letting his fingers run through the lengths of raven colored strands, "I feel giddy being this close to you."

"You're always giddy," Byakuya huffed, his heart warming very slightly.

 _No one speaks to me like this…_

He tried to bristle as a puff of heated breath touched the side of his neck, but his heart skipped in his chest and his eyes closed instinctively. Kenpachi's hand slid under his chin, turning his head so that the bigger man's lips were a hair's breadth away. He felt Byakuya start to stiffen and crashed their lips roughly together, thrusting his tongue between the flustered noble's lips and plunging in deep to savor the sweet depths of that usually frowning mouth. Stunned, Byakuya collapsed onto his side, then rolled onto his back, spreading his thighs wide at the lightest touch of the bigger man's hand. Kenpachi started to speak, but Byakuya's hand stopped his mouth and the noble hissed furiously in his ear.

"Do not speak! Just…make love to me."

"You sure?" Kenpachi managed in a husky voice, "You were pissed as hell at me a minute ago."

"I still am," Byakuya growled softly, "Make love to me before you say something else that makes me want to kill you!"

"That'd be fun too, if you weren't knocked up," Kenpachi laughed, earning a fresh scowl as the noble bit angrily at his lips, clawing at the other man's shoulders and Kenpachi hastily prepared him. Byakuya lunged forward with an aggressive snarl, flipping his surprised comrade onto his back and mounting him, then he sank down and joined their bodies roughly. The two launched into a series of wicked undulations with both men panting hard and breathing vicious curses.

"You're fucking beautiful, Kuchiki!"

"Monster…" Byakuya panted.

"Okay, but I'm your monster," Kenpachi snorted.

"You're insane!"

"Thanks, you're pretty fucked up too. But I like you that way."

Byakuya tried to glare back at him in response, but had to fight the smile that threatened.

"Hormones are getting pretty thick," Kenpachi managed, a warning twinge going through his muscular loins as his pleasure began to crest, "Oh…oh…damn it!"

He thrust upward hard and Byakuya's back arched in reaction. For one breathless moment, everything stopped for the two, and their eyes collided, revealing what neither would say. Then, their bodies shuddered roughly and Byakuya collapsed against the bigger man's shoulder, trying to catch his breath that had gotten away. Thick fingers sank into his hair, dragging his head back as Kenpachi's hardened lips attacked his again. Byakuya returned his kisses with equal fervor, then leaned heavily against him, panting in recovery.

"I love you," Kenpachi whispered, licking the noble's blushing earlobe, "I know you don't think I'm good enough for you… but…"

"Shut up," Byakuya managed softly, "Don't insult yourself."

"That's your job, right?" Kenpachi chuckled.

Byakuya nuzzled under his chin to nibble at the scarred skin underneath and his sparking eyes dared the bigger man to continue. Kenpachi just laughed again and pulled him into another flurry of hungry kisses.

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya heard a little snicker and looked up from the plate of tamales he was devouring as Kuri entered the tent with his mother and sister beside him. Magdelina nudged her son aside and moved to Tetsuya's bedside, where she took the empty plate and handed the young man a treat of frozen, crushed fruit on a stick.

"Try my paletas," she encouraged him, "I made it this morning."

"Thank you, Magdelina-sama," Tetsuya said as respectfully as he could around a bite of the frozen treat, "It is delicious!"

"You would think he was already with child, he eats so much," Kuri joked.

Magdelina turned and scowled at him.

"Don't you dare tell me you have been disrespectful of our _Angelito_ ," she scolded him.

"No, _Mamà_ ," Kuri assured her, "I have been a perfect gentleman with my intended. I have made sure he has had enough sleep, enough food, and that he has had a warm bath and massage… _from his attendant_. I have not shown any bad manners."

"You had better not."

"He's been nothing but polite," Tetsuya added, "Kuri-kuri-sama has been very kind to me."

Magdelina gave a little disapproving huff, then smiled more warmly at Tetsuya.

"I know that he has been pressuring you to go through with this marriage, but if you are unsure, you shouldn't let him corner you. Listen to your heart. It will guide you."

Tetsuya smiled shyly at the Shima matriarch.

"My heart is telling me that it does love Kuri-Kuri-sama," Tetsuya insisted, "and I want very much to be part of a loving family like his."

"Dear boy!" Magdelina said, tears coming to her eyes, "You really are _Angelito_!"

" _Hermano_ ," Aderia said, catching her brother's eye, "What is happening in there?"

Kuri glanced out the tent opening at the Daisuke main house that stood nearby.

"We heard that the… _effort_ was successful," Kuri reported, "Kuchiki Michio confirmed it. The Daisuke heirs are on the way."

"I hope Ichigo knows what he's gotten himself into," Tetsuya worried, "Those people, whoever they were, who struck at me are vicious. I know everyone thinks they will wait until the babies are born, but I'm not so sure."

"Not to worry, Tetsu-hana," Kuri said reassuringly, "We are all on our guard, and whatever we think of Aizen, we are law abiding people. We will not let anyone get near him."

"I am worried about Byakuya-sama, also," Tetsuya admitted.

"Ah yes," Aderia acknowledged, "I was in to examine him. But, you don't need to worry, not about his condition."

"He's without his powers, because of his situation," Tetsuya said anxiously, "He shouldn't be here, except that he is the only one who can be trusted to handle Aizen Sousuke's situation with integrity."

"Aizen has a lot of enemies," Magdelina acknowledged.

"But, he has one very, very powerful ally," Kuri intoned softly, "There is no protector like Ichibun. None."

XXXXXXXXXX

"You want me to protect you?" Ichigo mused, shaking his head ruefully, "That's one I never thought I'd hear."

"I never thought I would say it," Aizen replied, smirking.

He reached down and patted the little round bump that had formed on his abdomen.

"I had forgotten the feeling of family. I was sure that I would never feel it again after mine was lost."

"There's the family you're born into," Ichigo acknowledged, "But see, we get a second chance when we fall in love, get married and have kids. We get to start over, and to make our family the way we want it. We protect them. We love them. We give them everything."

"Is that how it is?" Aizen mused, "I had forgotten. It's been a long time."

"It'll come back to you," Ichigo answered, his lips betraying a little hint of a smile, "When these kids are born, and you hold them in your arms, you'll feel that connection that was taken away from you."

Ichigo stopped himself abruptly, stiffening slightly and wearing a discomfited look.

"What is it?" Aizen asked, observing him closely, "What is bothering you?"

"You are," Ichigo admitted hesitantly, "I look at you, carrying kids we made together, and we're talking about being a family…but…I don't know if I can get past what you did before. And it makes me worry."

"Are you worried that I will not love them and protect them?" Aizen asked, "Or, is it that you think I will be a horrible influence?"

"I don't know," Ichigo sighed anxiously, "Both, maybe."

"I understand," Aizen assured him, "I've been damaged, and damaged people have a way of damaging their progeny. But…you are here. And you are a good example for them…one of strength, of protectiveness and of love. We are not without hope."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, brightening slightly, "Yeah, I think you're right."

"Ichigo, I…"

The two stiffened as a sudden rumble shook the room. A moment later, a heavy blast shook the house and the lights went out, plunging the room into blackness.


	10. One Hand Holds Tightly

**Chapter 10: One Hand Holds Tightly**

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 **(Thanks going out to StringDMan (You've got it! Here's the next bit. :) Enjoy!), Sevrin Saphir (I plan to keep this moving, now that the muse is with me, so there should be even more chapters at a good clip from now on.), Mz. Valkyrie (I enjoy the challenge of writing Aizen in a more fragile state, imagining that although he is more easy to damage, he would compensate with physical and mental strength and he wouldn't lose his crafty edge. He would be constantly examining his unusual fragility and wondering over the deepening connection with Ichigo, the one he created and the one he respects because Ichigo's determination and fighting skill led to his capture and the failure of his plans. The role reversal is extremely challenging and fun. It's one of my favorite stories to write because of that.), Featherfoot (Thanks so much! More is coming.), Willow (Spunky to the rescue! Here is more.), Aizenfan6969 (You are most welcome!), LilPeaHen133 (Yup, the new chapter got my muse revived, so there will be more frequent updates now. Enjoy!), ShadowLady69 (Reiatsu is literally, spiritual pressure, that is charged with a person's own presence. A person like Byakuya, Ichigo or Aizen, who has strong reiatsu radiates a lot of power. The babies each have their own unique reiatsu that can be sensed by those around them. The pregnancy is only a few days in, but the strong reiatsu of the parents and children is going to make the process of maturing the reiatsu faster. According to my design of Shinigami male mpreg, a breeder male generally needs six months to mature a baby's reiatsu. This would be true of Tetsuya. But, with two transcendent powers that merge, like Aizen and Ichigo, it could be just a few months. Reiatsu, being a powerful essence, matures more quickly than flesh and bone. Hope that clears things up. Good questions!), Yukino76 (Ah yes! Zaraki definitely knows how to get under Byakuya's skin and tease him!), Sariniste (The good thing about my cliffies is that they urge me to write faster. :) I get itchy to get the story down so that I don't lose track of my plan for the story.), ShadowEndowedNiceties (You're right about the hormones! Byakuya and Kenpachi do snipe at each other and can get pretty heated. Well, what restraint Byakuya has in those times, is overcome by the chaotic forces working in his body. This causes his more impulsive and somewhat violent reactions. :) Kenpachi couldn't be happier...except he can't fight Byakuya until after the baby comes!), and anonymous guest (Thanks so much!) Enjoy the new chapter! Off to write more...Spunky)**

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 _What happened?_

 _One moment, I was looking into Ichigo's eyes and the next, I could see nothing. I feel nothing. I sense nothing. I was powerless, but my physical senses should be able to tell me something._

 _Have I died then?_

 _So odd, how my mind keeps working, how I am aware of my existence, and those senses that were not just a part of my body, but were the core of my power, are now disrupted. There was a moment of uncertainty, and I was able to see just long enough to know that Ichigo was afraid. Then, as my senses faded, I felt something._

 _His hand was holding onto mine._

 _He threw his body on top of mine as everything went black. We were attacked. It is no mistake that an explosive was used. The hatred behind it was explosive as well. It makes me wonder. Was this someone who was seeking revenge? Someone who was once like I used to be…innocent and unknowing, someone who had a person they loved taken away, but by my hand?_

 _Hatred is unusually cyclical, isn't it?_

 _The ones who tortured me and murdered my parents turned me into a monster, and when I slew my tormentors, my would-be murderers, I created more monsters out of the children too young to realize what their loved ones had done to another living soul. I remember once, long ago, reading one of Kuchiki Tetsuya's sworn statements about his incarceration in Itamigiri. He, too, was tortured and his life was threatened. The prisoners there were beaten repeatedly and without restraint. Tetsuya said that he endured by repeating to himself that hatred is a poison, and to accept it into his heart would have made him like his tormentors. I felt the truth of that statement even then, but now my understanding of it has expanded. I lie in what state? I have no idea. I can't tell if I am alive or dead. I can't feel anything. I only know I still exist._

 _I have been captured, held in confinement, bound…but I have never, even in those times, been so completely helpless. It should feel lonely, but strangely…I feel…_

… _close to him…_

Garbled voices began to leak through the deep haze that hung all around him. And the feeling of Ichigo's close presence grew stronger, until the ringing in his head began to subside. He felt himself take a ragged breath and felt Ichigo's hand still holding his. His eyes cracked open and looked up into what seemed a blinding light. Then, Ichigo moved and blocked the sun that shined down through what had once been the ceiling. Aizen blinked and Ichigo's image came fully into focus. He couldn't speak, but he could move just enough to bring a relieved smile to the ginger-haired man's worried face.

"¡ _Dios mío_!" Shima Kurushimi's deep voice breathed, "How is he still alive after that? How are you? This is…"

"Yeah," Ichigo said shakily, "We're still here, thanks to Tetsuya's quick thinking. Everything exploded and started to burn. I grabbed Sousuke's hand and pushed him down onto the floor. I couldn't breathe. It was so hot and there was fire everywhere."

"Thank kami for Tetsuya's command over water," Byakuya added, "It put the fire out quickly enough that you two were not seriously burned."

"But that was some wicked explosion," Kenpachi mused, "You sure it didn't kill him?"

"He's breathing now," Ichigo said more calmly, "And I checked. I felt the four reiatsus of the babies."

He paused as the aged Kuchiki healer arrived, alongside Shima Aderia. The two leaned over the collapsed shinigami, hastily examining his smudged and battered form.

"He's gonna be okay, right?" Ichigo asked in a concerned tone, "He was starting to come around."

"He is conscious," Aderia said, without looking up, "but he appears to be stunned."

"This has put a lot of stress on his body," Michio reported, frowning, "He will need a lengthy infusion, but, are you all right, my boy?"

"I'm okay," Ichigo assured the old man, "I have my powers, so I could shield us."

"Shielding is only somewhat helpful under the force of a blast like that," Byakuya argued, "Michio, please fully examine Ichigo to make sure he is not injured."

"Of course."

"We should get you outta here," Kenpachi said, laying a hand on Byakuya's arm, "You weren't the target, but we got knocked around too."

"I have an investigation to see to," Byakuya said sternly, glowering at his comrade, "I am curious to know, with all of the precautions that were taken here, how were these kido bombs placed without us knowing? Whoever did this knew exactly how we operate when we are protecting someone. They cut through our defenses like butter to do this. I want to know how they managed it with all of us on guard!"

"This is the same deadly accuracy with which they attacked Tetsu-hana," Kuri mused, "assuming these are the same culprits. Byakurai, it is almost as though they watch from the inside."

"I was thinking the same thing," Byakuya admitted, "Because of Aizen's notoriety, and the number of precautions that had to be taken as he was moved from Muken, my plans had to be approved by the Central 46 council, which means that they could more easily have been leaked to others. I was aware of the possibility, and we did take extra precautions."

"Sometimes there's nothing you can do," Kenpachi asserted, "If the fuckers who wanna kill you are determined enough, you gotta be ready to take the hit and hit back even harder."

"It is difficult to strike back when the enemy leaves no shadow," Byakuya said in a frustrated tone.

"You got a point there."

"Enough about what went wrong," Ichigo said, looking up at them from where he knelt at Aizen's side, "What are we gonna do to keep him and the babies safe? We can't let our plans go through another council approval. He won't survive another attack like that."

"I hardly know how he survived this one," Aderia said, studying the heavy damage to the house, "Despite the loss of his powers, the reiatsu that radiates in his body is formidable, and it still protects him. That is why he and the babies were not killed."

"It's not enough, though," Ichigo said in a rough, distressed voice, "We have to take him somewhere safe and not tell anyone where he is. These bastards, whoever they are…"

"Whoever they are," Byakuya interjected, "they know where I am likely to take you for safety. Ichigo, they will have anticipated that this attack will entice me into acting on my own, and they will assume that I will move Aizen to a private family property. This is precisely why I cannot take such action."

"Well, enough about what they expect you to do. Do something they won't expect!"

Byakuya's brow furrowed in thought for several long moments.

"Something they would not expect me to do…" he repeated, his frown deepening.

The others stared as a look of realization blossomed on his face.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked urgently, "What are you thinking, Byakuya?"

"Hueco Mundo," Byakuya said, watching the looks of dismay on the others' faces, "I have been one of the first ambassadors, attempting to establish relations with some surviving members of several powerful hollow noble families."

"There are noble families among the hollows?" Ichigo asked, blinking in surprise.

"Yes," Byakuya said emphatically, "Aizen did not always rule the hollows. Not even Luisenbarn Barragan was a true king of the realm. Barragan gained the crown when the hollow king and noble houses were overthrown. Many noble sons and daughters were killed at the time, so the numbers are few, but given the right support, we thought to replace the former caste of Espadas with a return to monarchy which would be enlightened by surviving noble families."

"I thought that Harribel was governer of Hueco Mundo," Ichigo objected.

"She was," Byakuya agreed, "But she was captured by Ywach and subjected to horrors that you do not want to imagine. She is still recovering and she is in no condition to try to prop up their society. Neither the Espada Grimmjow nor Nelliel is inclined to lead and the situation there is chaotic. I attempted to gather some remaining noble sons and daughters and managed to form a council to select and advise the next leader. They have selected a noble descendant of the Kuroibara clan named Kirei. I have had some success in gaining his cooperation to restore and keep peace. Obviously, the hollow leadership will not maintain much control over the more feral hollows, but they are initiating governance of the more intelligent and powerful ones."

"And what does that mean?" Ichigo demanded, "The hollows probably hate Aizen more than the shinigamis do! Why would they ever agree to protect him?"

"The hollows are no longer wishing to be aggressive towards the shinigamis of the Seireitei, but that does not make them completely friendly," Byakuya explained, "The Espadas despise Aizen, and with plenty of reason, but the noble hollows were not a part of Aizen's plans and do not have the disdain for his actions that the others do. They also need me to legitimate and support them. Others will be less likely to attempt to overthrow the new government if they believe that the nobles will be protected in their efforts by the shinigami noble clans. I had not yet updated the Kuchiki elders or Central 46 on the latest developments, so neither would expect this move."

"So, you're gonna twist their arms a little and make a deal?" Kenpachi surmised.

"Exactly," Byakuya affirmed.

"I don't know," Ichigo said doubtfully, glancing down at the traitor's still blank expression, "Wouldn't it be better to go to Kisuke? He could…"

Byakuya shook his head firmly.

"It is well known that, despite my dissatisfaction with that man's choices, I have turned to him in the past. The captain commander, himself, turned to Kisuke. Our enemies will have anticipated us going to him. The precipice world leading to his home will be seeded with assassins. They will not expect us to turn to the young hollow monarchy, so the way into Hueco Mundo will undoubtedly be the safer path."

"Yeah," Kenpachi snickered, "with pretty good reason. It's a little insane, but I like your thinking."

"I think he's more impressed with the idea of going where there will be strong hollows he can fight," Tetsuya whispered, earning a soft snort of agreement from Kuri.

"I don't know how well Aizen will hold up for the trip into the hollow world or the living world," Michio said skeptically, "Aderia-san can give a second opinion, but I feel his physical condition, though remarkably good for what he has been through, is still tenuous."

"I have to agree," Aderia said, nodding, "Everything is relatively stable, at the moment, but the stress of moving him while he is still in a state like this could put his life and the children's at risk."

"Isn't it a bigger risk to just sit here and wait for his attackers to try again?" Ichigo demanded, "We need to get them somewhere safe, and we need to do it now!"

"Ichibun," Kuri said bracingly, moving to Ichigo's side and kneeling beside him, "you know that Deripie wants what is best for everyone. If she tells you that it is best for him not to be moved, you should heed her advice. Whatever she thinks of Aizen Sousuke, she is a dedicated healer."

"I know she is," Ichigo acknowledged, his anger easing slightly, "and I get that's he's in a fragile state. I just…"

"Whatever happens, you want him and your children to be safe," Tetsuya said sympathetically, "We have already failed to provide that safety for all of you. Ichigo-sama, we will do our best not to disappoint you again."

"You shouldn't feel bad about what happened," Ichigo said, his anger fading amidst deeper worry, "I know you did the best you could. I don't know it anyone can protect him. Too many people hate him enough to kill him, whatever they have to do."

"You must admit that he earned their hatred, Ichibun," Kuri said quietly, "The man may be a noble son, and with child, but he is a demon. You know that."

"It doesn't give them the right to kill our kids!" Ichigo snapped, his anger flaring again, "They haven't done anything!"

"No, they haven't," Aderia agreed, laying a hand on Ichigo's arm, "And we promise to protect them as best we can. We are just fighting very crafty enemies."

"Yeah, you're right," Ichigo agreed, deflating as he gazed down at Aizen's lost expression, "So, what are we gonna do? Are we going to try taking him to the hollows? Or are we staying here because he might not manage the trip well?"

Byakuya considered for a moment, then sighed softly.

"There is a place I can house the two of you for a brief time," Byakuya suggested, "My family's archive. It is not in the Seireitei, even though one doorway is here. It exists in a pocket dimension of the royal realm. Even if it is suspected that I will take him there, the entry can be done from here, and no one else can enter without my permission or a special motion of council. I would suggest keeping him there for the rest of his gestation, but as soon as the elders of my family become aware of his presence there, they will begin the process of securing access to him. They have that right, but the process of approval takes about one week to complete, two if I make a formal objection."

"This will buy us time to get him properly stabilized," Aderia assured him.

"And, during that time, I can approach Kuroibara Kirei and make arrangements to safely move Aizen to Hueco Mundo," Byakuya added, "I think this is the best alternative."

Ichigo shook his head and let out a shaky breath.

"It's weird to think Sousuke will be going back to Hueco Mundo. Will he be going to Las Noches?"

Byakuya shook his head, frowning.

"The quincies razed what was left of Las Noches," he answered, "Kirei has taken up residence in the older palace of the former noble king and council. There are age old enchantments that protect it from invasion, which explains why it, and the artifacts within have survived for hundreds of years while the survivors of the overthrow struggled to stay alive. If we can stabilize Aizen sufficiently for the journey, I feel it is the best place to house him for the duration of his pregnancy."

"What about the next ones?" Kuri breathed softly in Tetsuya's ear, "He has to have seven."

"I think we have to take one problem at a time," Tetsuya whispered back.

"I guess we have a plan," Ichigo said in a more collected tone, "How do we get to the archive from here?"

Byakuya extended an opened hand, his head dipping slightly, and his eyes closed for a moment. There was a soft creaking, and a glowing door appeared in the air in front of the noble. Ichigo made a soft sound of approval as the healers carefully lifted Aizen and carried him through, into the archive. Byakuya directed them to a bedroom recess in the back of the structure, while the others gathered in the larger reading chamber. The healers laid the Daisuke heir in bed and examined him carefully, then left Ichigo at his side and returned to the larger chamber. Ichigo laid warm hands on Aizen's bared chest and abdomen and began the necessary infusion.

"Do you think you can try to talk to me?" Ichigo asked worriedly, "Are you in any pain? Is there anything I can do?"

He felt Aizen's hand tighten on his and looked down into the dazed man's glazed brown eyes. His lips moved, and a few words escaped.

"Will you lie down with me?"

Ichigo felt tears in the corners of his eyes and his throat tightened, so he only nodded wordlessly and laid down to continue the infusion.

"Thank you, Ichigo."

"Sure."

Ichigo's warm palm came to rest on Aizen's soft belly, and a sad smile touched his lips as he sensed the reaction in the babies' reiatsu.

 _I'm here._

 _I'll take care of you._

 _I won't let anyone hurt you._

 _You're all gonna be okay. I won't let anything happen to you._

His mind ached, knowing that it was a promise he might not be able to keep, but the promise in those little flickers of life he was protecting gave him new resolve as his hand continued to caress Aizen's belly gently.

"You should sleep," Aizen said softly, between slow breaths, "I can feel how weary this has made you."

"I'm okay," Ichigo assured him, "And I'm gonna keep you and the babies that way too. We're safe, here in Byakuya's family archive, for now. When you're recovered enough, we're going to the old royal palace in Hueco Mundo. Byakuya's working out a deal with the noble hollow families."

"A good choice, among the few possibilities."

"You shouldn't be talking so much," Ichigo chided him, "Try to sleep. Someone will be in with some food in a little while. You should rest until then."

"You should, as well," Aizen answered.

"Fine," Ichigo said, lying down beside him, "but I'm not leaving this room. I know Byakuya said we're perfectly safe here, but…"

"It is safest to be skeptical of that," Aizen agreed, "We have some extremely powerful enemies…and…that being the case, I am concerned that there is another direction they might take, if they haven't already."

"What are you talking about? What do you mean?" Ichigo said, stiffening in reaction.

"The thing that hit the house did so from a single point," Aizen informed him, "I could feel it in the blast wave that rolled over us. These were not kido bombs, but one heavy kido blast that was launched from nearby."

Ichigo frowned.

"No one I know, not even Byakuya, could launch a blast like that and not be identified," Ichigo argued.

"No," Aizen agreed, "There are only a few creatures capable of doing such a thing…the soul king, Ywach, who is dead, a very strong quincy…or…"

Aizen paused, looking into Ichigo's widened eyes as he loosed the last possibility.

"A spirit demon."


	11. Hidden Path

**Chapter 11: Hidden Path**

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 **(Ah, apologies for the slow pace of posts the last week or so. I am suffering with an old, beat up laptop while a family member uses mine for an important project. And actually, I am getting a brand new laptop this week anyway, so things will be better when I retire this monster I'm using right now. I apologize for the lack of hyphens, which stopped working on this behemoth, as well as any other quirks. I will have to do shout outs next chapter, but I wanted to answer a question a reader asked about the currently powerless Byakuya being able to enter the archive. Wonderful question! As keeper of the archive, the archive is reactive to Byakuya's reiatsu. And while he can't expel the power, it still radiates around him, so the archive recognizes and accepts him. This enables him to unlock the doorway at will. This ability passes from clan leader to clan leader. Only a member of the royal family or one given Byakuya's permission can enter the archive. Have a great day, all! This weekend is Fanime Con, so I may be picking up some awesome art to share. Take care all. Spunky loves ya!)**

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Byakuya sat quietly in a dark wood chair, in front of a desk that housed the complete volumes of the Kuchiki leader diaries. His slender hands worked swiftly, laying out his plans and preparing orders for all of the staff that would be involved in the eventual move of the Daishima heir to the hollow monarch's palace. He flinched and a little scowl made its way onto his comely face as he sensed Kenpachi watching him. He paused in his work, turning to face the bigger man, who stood, casually leaned against one of the tall bookshelves.

"You're keeping busy," Kenpachi said, moving forward to join him.

Byakuya carefully slid one of the pages of orders beneath the others as Kenpachi approached.

"You making plans for the move to Hueco Mundo?"

Byakuya gave him a slightly annoyed look.

"Is there something else you imagine I would be working on besides that? I do not think you appreciate just what a task that will be with an enemy that may have a spirit demon set on a blood trail to kill Aizen."

"What's that?" Kenpachi mused, frowning, "A blood trail? Is that what it sounds like?"

Byakuya's frown eased slightly and he motioned for his comrade to join him. A little smile creeping onto his lips, Kenpachi took the invitation and pulled up a chair next to Byakuya. The Kuchiki leader picked up a book he had been consulting and opened to a picture of a wiry, black creature with long, wicked looking fangs and deadly glowing golden eyes.

"Fuck," the bigger man breathed, squinting slightly, "That'll leave a mark on you."

"It will not just leave a mark," Byakuya said in a low, stern voice, "Spirit demons are an ancient race, born from evil that originated in our ancestors. The soul king saw the importance of free will and of balances, so he created beings who possessed their own will and an ability to make choices. He knew, even then, that some men would choose the way of evil, but...as long as that evil was balanced with a measure of goodness, the worlds would prosper."

"I guess that didn't work so well," Kenpachi snorted, "If things are so balanced, how do you explain us watching our worlds get blasted to bits by rampaging quincies?"

"The careful balances we keep are vulnerable to powerful forces, like the soul king and the quincy king...like Aizen Sousuke. In early times, there were those who wished to rid the world of that kind of evil. A group of scientists of that persuasion attempted to draw the evil out of a number of known criminals and to destroy it. Unfortunately, the balance of good and evil is at the core of our beings. It is essential to free will, which supports all we are. When these scientists interfered with that internal balance, they found that their efforts only strained the criminals' bodies and minds, destroying the careful balance of their souls and turning them into the first demons. We call them wicked beings, but in actuality, the demons are just souls in eternal chaos. The king saw the danger in these beings and gave them entrance into a pocket dimension where they could live, but they were forever separated from the worlds that needed balance."

"Why didn't he kill them?" Kenpachi asked, "It seems to be the popular choice of nobles and royals, don't you think?"

"Regrettably, yes," Byakuya answered in a troubled tone, "But the king ruled that it wasn't the fault of the demons that they were created, and that, while they could not be allowed to inhabit the three worlds, as souls created by him, they deserved a place where they could survive and live out their lives away from the rest of his creations."

"He'd have been better off killing them," Kenpachi said matter-of-factly, "But if they are in a pocket dimension, how could one get out?"

Byakuya sighed.

"A soul on this side who wields a great deal of power could open a soul conduit to try to connect with a demon. He could only bring one through, and...the exchange requires one blood sacrifice at the time of summoning and another when the demon has fulfilled his contract with whoever summoned him. It is not for the faint of heart. I have heard of only one instance in which it happened. The demon was destroyed, but it slaughtered an unholy number of people before it died."

"So, these demons can be killed," Kenpachi concluded, "But, how do you know it's a demon? Do you think we can believe what Aizen told Ichigo about that? I don't know if I'd believe a damned word that comes out of his mouth."

"In most cases, I would agree with you," Byakuya said solemnly, "However, Aizen has nothing to gain by lying about this. And having researched it, I agree with him that it is a distinct possibility."

"So, you want me to find and kill this demon?" the big man offered.

Byakuya let out a flustered breath.

"Oh, you think it will be so easy," he scoffed, "You have no idea what it takes to slay one of these beasts."

"Hey, it can't be worse than that monster quincy, Gerard, right?"

" _Three of us_ were not able to kill Gerard," Byakuya reminded him icily, "The only reason he died is because Ywach stole back his power. Luckily for us, the demons can be slain. But, remember this. Their teeth and their talons carry the taint of their evil. Just a scratch or a bite will infect an enemy. If its reiatsu is not quickly purged, the enemy will then become a demon as well."

"Doesn't sound like anything I can't handle," Kenpachi said, grinning, "So, how do I find it?"

"You do not find demons," Byakuya answered, glowering at him meaningfully, "You will only sense them when they are about to strike their target."

"So, I need to stay near Aizen."

"That would be the best way."

Kenpachi nodded, falling silent and watching Byakuya's face closely as the noble traced a finger down the demon picture's length.

"The demon cannot breach the royal protections on the archive," the noble said quietly, "If this is a demon, it will strike when we move Aizen."

"I guess it would be bold like that, striking even when he's surrounded by protectors," Kenpachi agreed stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"A demon would slaughter most regular soldiers and would be a challenge for our taichous to handle. We will account for that, and I will need you to lend your abilities."

"You've got it, sweet cheeks," Kenpachi snickered, earning a scowl from the riled Kuchiki leader, "I'm also going to be on your heels until we leave."

"On my heels?" Byakuya repeated derisively, "And why would I need you following me around to my clan meetings and security rounds? I have attendants, who have been specifically trained to provide the protection I need."

"Hey, there's a demon running around here," Kenpachi argued.

"It is after Aizen Sousuke, not me," Byakuya replied stiffly.

"You said, yourself, when you were talking about the demon that invaded before. The demon didn't just kill its target. There were sacrifices and there was collateral damage. And being in charge of Aizen's protection, you're in the thick of this."

"Oh, you choose now to start _thinking_?" the noble scolded him, "Why don't you stick to waving your sword around and let me handle strategy?"

"Nice," Kenpachi chuckled, "but your sweet talk isn't going to make me go away."

"Not if you think there's a fight in store for you if you stay," Byakuya said dryly.

"You know it," the big man snickered, "But you also know that's not all. You've got my kid in your belly and I'm not letting anything get near you."

"That's fine," Byakuya sighed wearily, "But I am sure that you will have duties at your division you will need to see to before we leave. Perhaps you should go and..."

"Nope," Kenpachi said giving his head a firm shake, "I'm on to you, princess. I know just what you're thinking."

"I told you not to call me that!" Byakuya snapped, "And how would you know what I am thinking? Are you saying you have learned to read minds?"

"I know a little about yours," Kenpachi said, narrowing his eyes, "You're up to something. I want you to tell me what you're planning."

Byakuya opened his mouth to object, only to be stunned by a sudden, knee weakening kiss.

"What you're _really_ thinking, Byakuya," Kenpachi growled, shocking the noble into silence with the use of his proper name, "cause I'm not moving an inch until you tell me the truth."

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo sat quietly by a window in the archive recess, looking into a small courtyard where Shima Kurushimi and Kuchiki Tetsuya stood talking softly and holding hands while looking into a small koi pond. He frowned thoughtfully, stealing a glance at Aizen Sousuke, where he laid in bed, devouring a heaping plate of food with unnatural vigor.

 _It's not just the four babies. He's been locked up in Muken for awhile and while he was there, he didn't eat at all. What must that be like?_

 _I haven't forgotten what he did, but I guess I am more understanding about what made him act that way. I still know very well it was wrong to attack and use innocent people in his plans, but after what he'd been through, he was pushed to extremes. I have to ask myself, what would most people do? His family was murdered and he was imprisoned and threatened with death for no better reason than someone decided he could be a threat. It's like Gotei's policy of locking up people who could cause trouble in the Maggot's Nest. I just can't get behind the idea of punishing people for what they might do, or killing innocent people because you think their relative will be a problem. I don't know it Sousuke is a self-made monster or if he only became a monster because of what was done to him and his family. Damn it!_

"You look like something is troubling you," Aizen said suddenly, pausing in his eating and touching a napkin to his lips, "You look that way a lot, now that you are going to be a father, Ichigo."

Ichigo gave the Daishima heir a sideways glance, then looked back at Tetsuya and Kurushimi, who were exchanging gentle kisses.

"I don't know what to do," Ichigo confessed, "I mean, I didn't have my mom for long, but I had a mostly normal childhood. I wanted that for my kids. But, I think you and I know that they aren't going to have anything like a normal life."

Aizen took a slow breath and nodded.

"They will be exceptional in ability and in the way they live," he agreed, "but it is not impossible for us to offer them some level of normality."

"Is that right?" Ichigo asked in a troubled tone, "How do we do that?"

Aizen's eyes followed Ichigo's to the courtyard, where Tetsuya stood, leaned against Kuri's shoulder, nuzzling the caramel skinned man's cheek.

"You know, Tetsuya and Kurushimi did not begin in a way one would call normal," Aizen pointed out, "And yet, I think you know that they have bridged the initial awkwardness of their beginning and are building a solid foundation for their future together."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, "you're right about that. But there were sparks between them from the moment they met."

"Well, I can't speak for you, of course, but I confess that from the day you were born, you fascinated me."

"That was different," Ichigo said, frowning, "I was an experiment to you."

"Is Tetsuya not _experimenting_ with loving Kurushimi?" Aizen inquired, arching an eyebrow, "Is Byakuya not _experimenting_ in his chaotic involvement with Zaraki Kenpachi?"

"Yeah," Ichigo chuckled ruefully, "that's a weird one."

"But you heard Byakuya yourself. Despite considerable doubts about the two of them, he and Kenpachi are trying to take that chaos and form it into a family. Families come in different shapes and sizes. They have different dynamics. The fact that ours does not attain your estimation of normality doesn't have to mean that it is deficient in some way. I think our family will be what we make it. Now, if you are concerned that my vision of family might differ too much from yours and we will clash, remember that what I grew up in and what I lost was a normal family that did not differ much from your own. Like you, I was the oldest child, and I was protective of my sibling. Prior to the loss of my family, I had no desire to break any laws or harm anyone."

"But you do now," Ichigo sighed, "Whatever you had, it changed you to lose your family."

"It changed you to have lost yours."

"Yeah, but I didn't try to take over the three worlds."

"You did, in the end, retaliate against both me, who changed the course of your mother's life, making your life what it is, and Ywach, who killed her," Aizen reminded him, "You response may have been more wholesome, but it was still violent. When someone harms the people we love, we react violently."

"Yeah, I get that," Ichigo assured him, "What bothers me, I guess, is wondering if you're done being violent. I mean, it's not just that Central 46 took your family anymore. They took your freedom."

"I was a criminal. I can't fault them for locking up a criminal. I am dangerous," Aizen replied solemnly, "While it is unpleasant being locked away, even more so having lost the hougyoku and believing I would die in that place, their reasoning was logical. if you are asking me if I plan to retaliate against Central 46, I can answer honestly that I will not do so unless they try again to harm my family."

Ichigo felt an oddly warm flutter in his chest as Aizen moved closer to him and curved a warm palm around his cheek.

"I do still despise Central 46 and all of their lies and hypocrisy, but I will not act against them if they leave us in peace to raise our children," the Daishima heir explained, "I don't think you are nearly as worried about me having diabolical plans now as you are about Central 46 setting me off again by trying to harm you or the children I am carrying. You know what loss has done to me and what I will likely do if I suffer that kind of loss again. Still, I think as long as I have you, my inner demons can be soothed by you. I didn't have you before. I had to create you, myself, but now that you are here, I feel a kind of equilibrium I didn't have before. My connection with you is enough that I will promise not to kill anyone without your permission...as long as you do not die."

Ichigo loosed a weary sigh and slid his arms around the elder man, sliding a hand down to rub the thickening bump on his abdomen.

"What is they harm the kids?" he asked softly, "Someone's already tried to do that."

Aizen's hand came to rest over Ichigo's and his dark eyes looked warmly into the younger man's.

"If that happens, I won't have to do a thing," he said, leaning forward to engage Ichigo's surprised lips, "because you will make the one who dares to do that as sorry as he will be dead."

XXXXXXXXXX

Central 46 sage, Suwa Hisoka, laid quietly in his bedchamber, his slim, naked body coiled around the wiry black body of a wickedly beautiful spirit demon. He breathed slowly, his heart still pounding from their recent joining and a sated glow around him. The demon sensed he was awake and ran his long forked tongue along the sage's pale throat, meeting Hisoka's thoughtful eyes with unexpectedly intelligent glowing golden orbs.

"You were lovely as always, _Adauchi_ ," Hisoka purred, capturing a black clawed hand and licking the pointed tips, "I hate to end this very enjoyable night, but you have some work to do, don't you?"

The demon's golden eyes closed for a moment, then opened and fixed on him again.

"Yes," he agreed, "I require another sacrifice if I am to stay longer. Who will it be this time?"

"Ah yes," Hisoka mused, "I thought that would be the way of it. I do have someone in mind."

"I am hungry for stronger reiatsu after not being allowed to devour Kuchiki Tetsuya or the healer," Adauchi growled softly.

"It would have revealed your presence here," Hisoka reasoned, his pale green eyes thoughtful, "I don't want to lose my beautiful demon lover and I know you don't want to go back to that dreadfully boring pocket dimension."

"No," the demon agreed, "but I need blood and strong reiatsu to feed on or my powers will begin to weaken. I will be sucked back into that other place."

"We don't want that now, do we?" Hisoka chuckled, nipping at his lips, then drawing back as the demon's eyes darkened dangerously for a moment, "Oh my, you _are_ hungry, aren't you. Well, I know just the man for you. He is pretty as sin, has delectable power and right now, he will be contemplating a journey into the hollow world."

"His name..." Adauchi growled, his eyes glinting with mayhem.

"Oh, I'm not done yet," Hisoka laughed, "He has been spending a lot of time with a reiatsu monster you will also enjoy. Don't thank me now, dear. You will see what I mean. My sources tell me that the two were liplocked over at the Daishima estate, so where one goes, the other will follow."

"Names!" Adauchi snapped, his chaotic reiatsu burning against the sage's lips.

Hisoka smiled.

"Kuchiki Byakuya and Zaraki Kenpachi."

The demon's eyes closed and he went quiet for a moment.

"I don't sense them."

"Of course not," Hisoka said primly, "They are in a royal pocket dimension that houses the Kuchiki archive. I have information and a hunch that they will enter the garganta. When they do, please kill them as violently as you wish."


	12. My Maker and Me

**Chapter 12: My Maker and Me**

 **(Happy almost 4th of July to all celebrating! Here's some fireworks to get you started! Love to all, Spunky)**

"I don't understand," Ichigo whispered against Aizen's warm lips, returning his kiss tentatively, "I got used to thinking of you as my enemy."

"And I was," Aizen agreed, meeting the younger man's eyes squarely, "I did threaten you and your loved ones directly. I needed your anger, your outrage, to push back against mine. No one else could stop me…just you. That threat, that constant promise of mayhem helped me to grow my own powers. I needed enough power to overcome all of them…so that never again would anyone take something from me that I did not give them willingly."

"But, I'm responsible for getting you locked up in Muken," Ichigo objected, "How can you say that…?"

"I deserved to be locked in Muken," Aizen said firmly, "I attempted to overthrow the king, and the price of failing to do that is to either be put to death, which they could not do because of the hougyoku, or to rot in Muken. It was not you that caused me to fail. I was not strong enough, not powerful enough…I was not wise enough. I am fortunate that Byakuya's discovery of my bloodline changed the course of my future, otherwise, my decision to assist the Gotei in the quincy war would have meant that I would die in prison. The sages were very quick to assure me that they had every right to kill me, once the hougyoku was destroyed. Putting me back in Muken after I helped end Ywach was their gift to me. Although I was less than thrilled, I lost the right to control my fate when I failed to overcome you."

"Well, I don't know what difference it makes, but I thought it was shitty of them to put you back in Muken after what you did to help me. It doesn't erase the bad things you did, but it shouldn't have been ignored either. But, like you, I had no control over what they did. An enemy like Ywach, I could fight on a battlefield. Central 46…I don't know how anyone can really fight them. They come from powerful families. Byakuya told me that, although there are a very few sages chosen to represent the people of the Rukongai, it's just one per section, north, south east, west. Four sages chosen from eighty districts full of commoners out of forty-six sages and judges. And none of those representatives are judges, who really make the decisions. They are just advisors. The whole thing is messed up, set up to favor the noble families. Even some of the powerful noble lords, like Byakuya, who try to do the right thing, don't like it. But it's set up to be hard to change."

Aizen gave him a sly smile.

"Although, you did manage to bring about some changes, didn't you?" he mused, "After they started out sending Byakuya to kill you, you went on to become their savior."

"I thought that was you, masquerading as Central 46, after you killed the entire council," Ichigo said, frowning.

"Yes, so I was," Aizen agreed, "But the fact that no one questioned the order, goes to show the lack of ability of the individual leaders to think orders through and to demand some measure of fairness and sanity in the council's orders. Law becomes meaningless if the ones making the laws are unjust and the ones enforcing them do not question them. Part of what makes change possible is the freedom to effect our will. You know that. The force of your will was enough to change Soul Society, a system and a society of people who never would have changed in that way before. From invader, to troublemaker, to several times over, the savior of Soul Society, you are quite the anomaly."

"I was just protecting the people I care about," Ichigo insisted.

"No," Aizen said firmly, "You may have begun your journey, trying to save Rukia, but you didn't just save Rukia, and later, Orihime. You saved Soul Society, Hueco Mundo and the royal realm."

"Just not the king, the whole point of the war…" Ichigo sighed, "I made the slash that took his life."

Ichigo paused and closed his eyes tightly, remembering.

"It's ironic, isn't it?" he whispered, keeping his eyes closed, "I could save everyone else, but when it came to the god watching over all of us and reaching out to guide me and help me, I couldn't do anything."

Aizen watched closely as Ichigo's eyes opened again and looked, unseeing, into the space in front of him.

"I haven't told anyone this," he said in a low, rough voice, "but something weird happened when I drove the sword into the king's body."

"Oh?" Aizen prompted him, his intelligent brown eyes glinting curiously, "What happened, Ichigo?"

Ichigo went silent for several minutes, then he swallowed hard, closing his eyes again as he continued.

"You can't tell anyone," he said more softly, "I don't want anyone to know."

"Why not?" Aizen inquired, frowning, "Did he hurt you in some way?"

"No," Ichigo sighed, smiling sadly, "he didn't hurt me, although I sensed that there was power he could have used to do just that. Our eyes met for a second, and just for that moment, I saw into his mind. Or…I guess it would be more accurate to say that what I saw into, was his heart."

Ichigo shivered and pressed closer to Aizen, accepting the Daishima heir's comforting embrace.

"He knew," Ichigo whispered, tears forming in the corners of his eyes, "He knew from the moment I was born that it would be my hand that would take his life, in the end. He knew, and even knowing, he never tried to stop me. In fact, he did nothing at all too interfere while I grew up and got my powers."

"That must be confusing."

"Yeah," Ichigo hissed softly, "Who could do that, you know? If you knew someone was going to kill you someday, wouldn't you…try to stop it?"

Ichigo felt a warm shaft of comfort as Aizen's fingers laced together with his.

"You have to remember the way the king's foresight works," he explained, "It is true that the king knew from the start that you would make the slash that would take his life, but he also knew how the rest of the pieces fit together. He knew how things would change with your coming. For better or for worse, he felt the best decision for the three worlds was to let you come."

"But how can that be?" Ichigo managed, ignoring the tears that had begun to leak onto his face.

Aizen's warm fingertips brushed the moisture away and he leaned forward to kiss the Shiba heir comfortingly on the frowning mouth.

"Ichigo, remember that the king you knew was a regent. He still had the gift of the king's sight, but he was not the true king."

"That's the strangest thing to me," Ichigo mused, "If there is a true king, where is he? You said that the king's prism would identify the true king when he arrived. Why hasn't that happened? What is it that killed the king in the first place?"

He paused and rubbed his hands over his face.

"There are so many questions and no answers. I just want to know what I can do. If the true king is out there, is there a way to find him?"

"I don't know," Aizen admitted quietly, curving his hand around Ichigo's face and caressing it gently, "However, one might conclude that the return of the Daishima bloodline may be a signal preceding the return of the true king."

He paused, contemplating carefully before continuing.

"And if that is the case, then we should expect that the one perpetrating the violence against me may not be targeting just me, but also may be trying to prevent the true king's return. It would seem to implicate a member or members of one or more of the more powerful noble clans. They have more direct control over Soul Society, as long as the king is a mere regent. There is nothing much to check their power. The regent is chosen by the king's advisory council, a group of grand sages who are hand chosen by the leaders of the noble clans."

Ichigo gave Aizen a haunted look.

"Y-you don't think that anyone from Byakuya's family is involved in this, do you?"

"Hmm," Aizen mused, stroking his chin lightly for a moment, "I'm not sure, of course, but Byakuya has an uncanny instinct about the people he allows near him. I don't think he would miss one of his own who might turn on him."

"He didn't see you coming," Ichigo said worriedly.

"I wasn't a member of his family. He wasn't close enough to me, even as a comrade taichou to realize I wasn't what I seemed. No, I don't think we will find the perpetrator among Byakuya's family members. This is someone else…and someone else with a powerful reach that may just include being bonded with a demon."

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji left his guest room within the Kuchiki archive and headed towards Byakuya's chamber door, where he paused and knocked lightly. He heard footsteps, then the door opened and Byakuya's attendant peeked out at him.

"Ah, Renji-san," he said in a relieved tone, "it's you. Byakuya-sama is waiting for you. Come in."

Renji frowned curiously as he followed Torio into the room.

"You looked worried it was goina to be someone else," he mused, "What's goin' on?"

"What is going on is that I am avoiding that overgrown monkey who impregnated me," Byakuya snapped, glaring at his fukutaichou as Renji smiled at him in a placating manner.

"Well, you can't really blame Zaraki taichou for wanting to watch out for you," he suggested, "He likes you, Taichou. I think he loves you. And I know he's excited about the baby. Can you really be mad that he wants to protect the two of you? You aren't pissed that I wanna protect you."

"Abarai, _you_ are not dogging my every footstep and trying so hard to keep me out of trouble that I cannot do my job in any capacity. People are depending on me. Lives hang in the balance and I am doing my best to protect them. I cannot do that if Kenpachi is getting in my way."

"True," the redhead agreed, "but I can understand his point."

"Do not start arguing on his behalf or I will kick you out of here right now," Byakuya snapped, scowling petulantly.

"Just hear me out here for a second," Renji urged him, "You're without your powers, which is fine if we're talking about desk work or organizing things. But you're about to take off into Hueco Mundo."

"To broker a tremendously important deal with the hollow royalty so that the Daishima bloodline is protected. Abarai, this deal must be handled carefully and personally by me, and I will not be able to give it my complete attention is that rough mannered baboon is following on my heels and offering to fight the ones I am negotiating with!"

Byakuya took a steadying breath, then winced and bristled.

"Ugh, do not talk to me about _him_ anymore. I just managed to get him out of here."

Renji bit his lip to stop the little chuckle that tried to escape him, and he looked around curiously.

"Where is he?" he asked, "What'd you do? You have him dragged away and chained up or something?"

"No," Byakuya said primly, "I distracted him, then I convinced him to go back to his division for a final check before we leave."

"But…we're leaving now," Renji said, frowning in confusion.

"Exactly," Byakuya said pointedly, "We will leave before the witless wonder returns, and we will probably be back before he finds his way back to Kuchiki Manor."

"Pretty slick," Renji chuckled appreciatively, "And he fell right for it, huh? What th'heck did you do to distract him?"

Byakuya stiffened and turned away abruptly.

"It is time to go," he said shortly.

"Aw, c'mon!" Renji complained, "You can't just leave me hanging like that. I know how Zaraki taichou is about you and the baby. He wouldn't just fall for anything. I mean, whatever you did must've been pretty earthshaking to make him so addle-minded he would just go off and…"

"Abarai, that is none of your business," the noble said sternly, "Now…"

"What'd you do? Offer to get Ichigo to fight him?" Renji giggled.

"I did not have to go so far as to involve anyone else," Byakuya commented, looking down at the papers on the table in front of him, "I just communicated to him in the very primitive way he best understands."

"What, you hit him?" Renji persisted.

"No, I slept with him," Byakuya said matter-of-factly, "and after, he was so undone, he would have walked off a cliff if I asked him to."

Renji froze for a moment, giving Byakuya a stunned look as the noble paused and shook his head discontentedly.

"I should have considered that…"

"Holy crap," Renji said, shaking his head as he pictured the scene in his mind, "That'd do it, all right."

"Are you ready to leave now, Abarai?" Byakuya asked impatiently.

"Yeah, all ready, Taichou," the flustered redhead confirmed, "The team is waiting in Karakura Town at Kisuke's place."

"We will use my personal senkaimon and leave from here," Byakuya said, standing and drawing his weapon.

He extended the weapon in front of him, waiting quietly as the senkaimon opened, then he passed into the precipice world with Renji at his side.

"You sure about this, Taichou?" Renji asked more seriously.

"It will be fine," Byakuya assured him, "No one knows that I am going to Hueco Mundo, or even considering this deal. And Aizen is not with us right now, so there is little incentive to attack just me. We should worry about taking Aizen into Hueco Mundo. That is when we must expect whoever this is to attack."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Renji said, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck.

"Don't worry, Renji," Byakuya said, looking around briefly before heading down the dark corridor, "the team that I have prepared will more than compensate for my lack of powers. We will be there and back here again before anyone knows that we've gone."

"Whatever you say, Taichou," Renji said, looking around again, "I just hope we can avoid anymore big explosions."

"I feel the same," Byakuya agreed, "Come, the team is waiting."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Have you got your head screwed back on right now, Kenny?" Yachiru laughed, holding tightly to Kenpachi's shoulder as the big man raced through the senkaimon, "Man, Byakushi really put one over on you, didn't he?"

"Yeah, shut up," Kenpachi huffed, scowling, "Should've known he was up to something the second he flashed those sexy grey eyes of his at me."

"You gotta learn to keep it in your pants, dont'cha?"

"Don't you talk like that," Kenpachi chided her, swatting at her as the pink-haired girl giggled and jumped off his shoulder to escape him, "And get back here. I'm in a hurry."

"Yeah," Yachiru agreed, reclaiming her place on his shoulder, "I don't think you've ever found your way anywhere so fast. Are you really that worried Byakushi will get into trouble?"

"That petal throwing princess can't stay outta trouble," the big man complained.

"He's a trouble magnet," Yachiru agreed.

"You said it," Kenpachi agreed, heading out of the senkaimon and dropping down into Kisuke's underground training room.

He paused and looked around, registering that the shopkeeper was, not only present, but was looking at an open garganta and wearing a worried expression. He hurried to Kisuke, his hand already on his weapon.

"What's goin' on?" he asked quickly.

"Ah, Zaraki taichou," Kisuke greeted him, a look of relief overtaking his face, "I'm glad you happened to show up just now. I was about to call the Gotei for some help."

"What happened?" Kenpachi asked quickly, "Is it Byakuya?"

"Yeah," the shopkeeper confirmed, glancing into the senkaimon with a haunted expression, "I just sent Byakuya and a very highly skilled team through to Hueco Mundo and they should have exited a few minutes ago. But, I didn't pick up anything to indicate they exited the garganta, and now I can't pick up on their reiatsu."

"Gotcha!" Kenpachi said, turning towards the open senkaimon.

"You want to wait a minute for Yoruichi to get here?"

"Nope, tell her to stay outta my way. I'm goin' to get Byakuya."

"But…"

"Oh, I wouldn't bother Kenny right now," Yachiru advised the shopkeeper, "If anything has hurt his Byakushi, Kenny's gonna rip him a new one!"

"I told you not to talk like that!" Kenpachi snapped as he ran into the garganta, "Now, shut it!"

He headed along the pathway the shopkeeper had set, laying down a rough, shoddy reiatsu path as he ran. Little inward flickers told him that Byakuya was somewhere in the darkness ahead of him, but the touches of reiatsu seemed oddly weak and slightly obscured.

"Not good," he muttered, hurrying forward.

"I smell blood," Yachiru commented, looking around, "There's been a fight."

Kenpachi slowed and came to a stop as he found three collapsed and badly shredded bodies. Yachiru jjumped down and examined them quickly. When she looked back at Kenpachi, her eyes gleamed with rising reiatsu.

"Something killed these guys in a second," she said in a lower, more aggressive tone, "something you'll like to fight."

"Where the hell are Abarai and Byakuya?" Kenpachi demanded, "We can fight when they're safe."

Yachiru's body began to shimmer, then slowly turned cloudy and sank into his glowing weapon.

"They're just ahead," Yachiru's voice said, turning into a hissing whisper in his mind, " _It_ is with them."

"Let's go!" Kenpachi growled, surging forward with his sword ready.

He charged ahead, honing in on the weak signal coming from the pregnant noble. Several moments later, he skidded to a stop, staring as he arrived at Byakuya's location.

Renji laid in a heap, moving sluggishly and groaning in distress, while a few feet away from him, Byakuya laid on his back with an eerily beautiful black-skinned creature poised over him, latched on to his throat and feeding contentedly.

"You fucking piece of shit, GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Kenpachi roared, his reiatsu exploding around him.

The demon paused and lifted his head, smiling as Byakuya's blood and reiatsu dribbled down over his chin.

"Give me a minute," he sneered softly, "I've almost finished with him."

"You motherfucking devil," Kenpachi snarled, "Why dont'cha let me show you _finished_?"

The demon's golden eyes gleamed with rising arousal and he pulled free of Byakuya's limp and frighteningly pale form.

"Abarai!" Kenpachi roared, his deadly tone shocking the redhead fully awake, "get your taichou up and get him the hell outta here!"

"R-right," Renji managed dazedly, dragging himself to his feet.

He blinked and squinted, shaking his head and looking down at Byakuya in confusion.

"Move it, Renji!" the big man snapped scathingly, "I need room to smear this asshole's blood all over!"

"Got it…g-going!" Renji said hastily, bending to pick up the noble.

He froze for a moment his insides freezing at the sight of the bleeding wounds on Byakuya's throat and the deathly pale cast of the noble's white skin.

"Oh my god…" Reni whispered, unable to make his stiffened body move, "Taichou…"

"YOU HEARD ME! GET'IM OUTTA HERE!"

His heart in his throat, Renji surged forward and threw Byakuya over his shoulder, then he flash stepped madly as the demon laughed and fired itself at the incensed taichou.

"You little bloodsucker," Kenpachi hissed wickedly, "I'm gonna send you right back to fucking hell, where you belong!"


	13. The Bloodlust

**Chapter 13: The Bloodlust**

Kenpachi gave the handsome, black-skinned demon facing him a crooked smile as the wiry creature studied him with curious, aroused eyes and licked the last few dribbles of Byakuya's blood from his lips.

"You waiting for an invitation, bat boy?" the big man asked, smirking, "I can wait a little for that blood meal you had to digest if you need it to be up to fighting me, or I can just cut you up right now. What'll it be?"

"Zaraki Kenpachi," the demon purred, locking eyes with the eleventh division taichou and smiling widely, "Oh, I was hoping that you wouldn't be far behind Byakuya."

"You talk like you knew Byakuya was gonna be here," Kenpachi mused, "Who told you that?"

The demon sucked in a hissing breath, baring sharp fangs and flexing his claws in readiness.

"Do you think I would just tell you that?" the demon asked.

"Maybe no one had to tell you," Kenpachi suggested, moving a step forward and grinning more widely as the demon held his ground, "Maybe you've got some way of listening in. What are you? You don't have a hole in your body anywhere I can see, so you're not a hollow. And your reiatsu is along the lines of the demons they warned us to watch out for when we went to the royal realm. But…they also said that the demons would have a hell of a time getting here and functioning if they did get here. You _are_ a demon, right? You look a lot like the picture Byakuya showed me. Is that what you are, then?"

"I am," the demon answered readily, his muscular legs tensing in preparation, "My name is Adauchi."

Kenpachi nodded approvingly.

"Nice to meet'cha," the big man replied casually, "When I heard about the demons, I was curious. I wondered how long one would stand up to Nozarashi, here. I guess I'm gonna find out, aren't I?"

He surged forward, slashing at the demon, who disappeared and reappeared almost instantly behind him. Adauchi slashed at Kenpachi's back, only to find his extended claws, caught by a sword and stopped short of their target.

"You're sneaky," Kenpachi observed, "and you're fast, but Nozarashi can handle sneaky and fast."

He tore his blade away and pressed forward again, his grin widening as he felt the demon's impressive strength pushing back against him.

"How'd you get here? Who summoned you?"

"Who says that I needed help to get here?" Adauchi inquired, smiling cryptically, "I am a powerful demon, which is why I was so pleased to have a taste of that lovely Kuchiki boy. He was extremely satisfying and I feel exhilarated after feeding on him. I feel good enough to bring you down, even if I am in danger of overeating when I feed on you next!"

"Like that's gonna happen," Kenpachi scoffed, swinging his sword at the demon and setting off an exchange of slashes, none of which connected on either side, "You come near me, you're gonna be feeding my sword. Nozarashi likes blood…strong blood. You demons bleed too, right?"

The demon gave him a derisive look.

"Not for stupid brutes like you," he sneered, nimbly evading another savage swipe and landing several feet away, "You're in this for the fight. You don't need to tell me. I already know. But let me tell you something, Zaraki Kenpachi. I don't like fighting at all, and that's why…I am going to take you down now, before you can swing your sword again!"

Kenpachi made a sound of surprise, staring intently as the demon's reiatsu swelled around him, radiating an oddly familiar presence.

"What is that? What're you doing, you sneaky bastard?" the big man growled, his hand tightening on his sword.

"You recognize the feel of his reiatsu, right?" the demon said sedately, "You know I fed on him, and while feeding on him, I sensed the baby. And before you think of killing me, realize this. I fed on their reiatsu…stole some…and I gave some to them too."

The demon snickered, holding his fingers up in demonstration as he continued.

"Just a little bit, you know. But they're connected to me now. I'm sure that makes you want to kill me even more, doesn't it? But know this. The blood and reiatsu exchange is a contract. I grant them demon abilities and they are bound to me, so that I can find them anywhere, so that I can reach them anywhere, so I can feed on them anytime I want."

Kenpachi's uncovered eye flared, golden and deadly.

"And that's supposed to make me want to kill you _less_? Huh, I may want to cut you up more slowly and painfully, but Nozarashi's still gonna dismember you!"

He started to move, but skidded to a stop as the demon started to laugh maniacally.

"Oh, Zaraki Kenpachi, magnificent barbarian!" the demon mocked him, "There's just one eensy-weensy little thing."

Kenpachi glared as the demon's face lost all sign of levity and contorted into a mask of blind fury.

"Kill me and you'll kill them with me."

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo rested quietly alongside Aizen Sousuke, his hand beneath the covers and gently caressing the round bump on the Daishima heir's belly.

 _This is crazy._

 _Just watching Aizen Sousuke sleep. He's never let himself be completely vulnerable, and with the dangerous people he surrounded himself with, he never could if he wanted to live. I get that he was using them to push the hougyoku to make him stronger, but doing that left him alone among enemies, always having to watch his own back. When I didn't know about what Central 46 did to his family, I didn't get why he did all of that. It still doesn't excuse him from attacking innocent people. I understand what he did to the Central 46 council, even if I don't agree with it. But, he didn't stop with getting revenge on the ones who hurt him and destroyed his family. He purposely set Byakuya and Renji up to fight. He used Rukia in his plans, then ordered Gin to kill her. He tried to kill Momo, who did nothing to him but care for him. I don't know. I don't know how to feel about someone who could do that._

 _But I look at him like this, sleeping comfortably next to me and carrying our babies. Even deprived of his powers, there is strength in him. Every time I look at him, I feel that…and I feel more too. I feel what I did when we were in that pocket dimension and about to make love. I have a hunger for him that has nothing to do with my feelings about the past. It has to do with who we are._

 _There are secrets there that we still don't know._

"Ichigo?"

Aizen's voice sounded only half aware and when Ichigo's head turned, he found the brown eyes still hazy and not fully awakened.

"I'm here," he said quietly, "You all right?"

Aizen sat up slowly, his face paling and his expression pained.

"You want me to get the healer?"

"N-no, I am just nauseous…a bit dizzy."

Ichigo felt a heavy twinge in his stomach, seeing the usually collected man falter. Aizen laid a hand on his belly, breathing slowly for a moment, then he groaned and leaned over to throw up into a wastebasket. Ichigo gave him a look of honest sympathy and moved closer, wrapping his arms around Aizen and holding him until he had expelled everything and was left sweating and shaking softly.

"It must be confusing for you to see me like this," he observed in a strangely normal sounding tone, "I am sorry."

"For what? For being human? For having the same weakness anyone else doing this would?"

"I am not anyone else," Aizen sighed wearily, "I am not accustomed to having to depend on someone else. It feels unnatural…although, strangely, I don't mind greatly because I trust you."

He shook his head and his frown deepened.

"I am not one who trusts other people," he went on, "It is…unsettling to feel such ease trusting you. My instincts warn against it, but I trust you anyway."

Ichigo gave him a bracing smile.

"You're thinking too much," he chuckled, holding the Daishima heir to steady him as he laid back in the bed, "You already decided to entrust this to me and to let me protect you while you were having your children. It's a little late to be losing sleep over the decision when it's already made, right?"

"I suppose it is," Aizen said, closing his eyes.

They opened and blinked, reflecting mild surprise as Ichigo's warm body pressed up against his side and the younger man's hand slid beneath the blanket to continue rubbing his belly.

"What?" Ichigo queried, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Aizen sighed, "And you're right. It is a waste of time to ponder decisions that are already made. I should focus now on the future…"

At the last word, Ichigo felt a sudden throbbing in his head that blotted out his vision and left him gasping in cold blackness.

 _He knelt as Aizen's side, watching in dismay as the Daishima heir's torn chest rose and fell haphazardly._

" _Can't you do anything?" he shouted at a person kneeling beside him, "Damn it! He's gonna die!"_

"Ichigo?"

Ichigo felt as though he had been suddenly slammed back down into his body and he reeled dizzily for a moment.

"What the hell?" he panted.

Aizen's hands touched his face, raising it so that he was looking into Ichigo's tormented features.

"What was that? What happened?" Ichigo gasped, "I saw you! I saw you with your chest slashed and you were…you were dying!"

He realized suddenly that his arms were wrapped tightly around the Daishima heir and holding on for dear life. Swallowing hard, he made his hands let go and sat back, staring as Aizen observed him curiously.

"Damn…"

"It was a vision?" Aizen asked, "Your eyes looked at me, but you weren't seeing me. You seemed to leave all at once."

"It must have been some kind of vision," Ichigo mused, rubbing his hands over his face, "but it felt like it was really happening."

"Did you notice where it happened?"

"Ah…erm, I think it was…well, it was nowhere really familiar, not the Daishima estate or here. Not my place or Kisuke's. It sort of reminded me of the throne room before Ywach destroyed it."

Ichigo felt odd chills move through his insides as he remembered.

"Do you think this is just everything that's going on?" he wondered aloud, "Or…I know it's crazy, but…do you think it's some kinda warning?"

Aizen's eyes continued to study him closely for several more moments, then he sighed and shook his head.

"It's hard to know what this is," he admitted, "but did you know that when you had that vision, your eyes went golden?"

"What?" Ichigo gasped, stiffening, "You mean, like…?"

"Like what happened to our bodies while we were mating," Aizen remembered, "Ichigo, this could be some kind of warning."

Ichigo let out an anxious breath.

"Well, we already know that someone really wants to kill you. And what good is a warning if it doesn't tell me when or where this thing is going to happen?" he demanded.

"We don't know that it is a warning," Aizen reasoned, "but we know it represents a danger. As there is little to focus on to identify the exact circumstances, we can only continue to be cautious and proceed as we are."

"Hey!" Ichigo shouted, "I just told you how real it felt. I just saw you lying there, dying, and all you can say is that we'll be careful? I can already feel that's not good enough! Something really bad is gonna happen. I know it is!"

"Ichigo, calm down," Aizen soothed him, touching his face and looking into his eyes, "Whatever it was that you saw, it is certainly not going to happen here in the Kuchiki archive. If it happens, it will happen in the future. To be sure that we are ready to face such a thing in the future, we must calm and strengthen ourselves now. We must think clearly and try to anticipate our enemy's moves. We…"

Aizen broke off mid-sentence as the bedroom door opened and Toshi entered the room, wearing a frantic expression.

"Aizen-sama! Ichigo-sama!" he cried anxiously.

"What is it, Toshi?" Ichigo said, moving quickly to meet him, "What's going on?"

"Word just came from Urahara Kisuke," the attendant said in a haunted tone, "He said to be sure that I only told the two of you and no one else."

"Go on," Aizen prompted him.

"Sirs," Toshi said in a shaky voice, "I am to tell you and no one else that…that while trying to reach the monarchy in Hueco Mundo, Kuchiki taichou's escort was attacked! Abarai Fukutaichou was able to get Kuchiki taichou to safety, but…but something terrible has happened!"

Toshi swallowed hard and brushed away tears that had begun to leak from his eyes.

"It's gonna be okay," Ichigo assured the youth, placing a comforting arm around him, "Tell us what happened. Was Byakuya badly hurt?"

Toshi nodded, struggling to get his voice to sound again.

"Kuchiki taichou's group was decimated. All but Kuchiki taichou and Abarai Renji were killed. Renji-san said to Urahara-san that what attacked them…was a _spirit demon_!"

Ichigo's widened eyes met Aizen's.

 _It's what Sousuke said before. He suspected his enemy could have a demon helping him!_

"Toshi," Aizen said calmly, "you needn't worry about a demon reaching us here. We are safe, but Ichigo and I need to speak privately about what we can do to protect ourselves if Byakuya is not able to assist us. Will you please go and prepare some tea?"

"Y-yes," Aizen-sama," the youth said, extracting himself from Ichigo's arms, "S-sorry."

"There is no need to apologize," Aizen assured him, "This is distressing news. Did Kisuke say anything about Byakuya's or Renji's conditions?"

"Renji-san was just knocked around, but Kuchiki taichou was…he was _bitten_."

 _Bitten by a spirit demon_ , Ichigo's numb mind registered, _But, in the royal realm, they told us that being bitten meant we would transform. They didn't say it was incurable, but they did warn us that it meant death._

 _Is Byakuya going to die?_

 _Is Kisuke right now having to decide whether or not to kill him?_

 _Fuck, what's going on?_

 _What…?_

"Ichigo!"

Aizen's voice snapped him out of his reverie, and he realized that Toshi was gone from the room and that Aizen was out of bed and holding him on his feet.

"Byakuya was bitten by a spirit demon," Ichigo whispered, his face going white, "Squad Zero warned all of us who went to the royal realm what that would mean. They said it was death, Sousuke. Byakuya is gonna…!"

"No," Aizen said firmly, "Byakuya isn't going to die."

"How can you say that? How can you know? Do you know anything about spirit demons?"

Aizen shook his head.

"Not much. There is very little about them available outside the royal realm. But, even though I don't know much about spirit demons, I know everything about Urahara Kisuke. The man is brilliant. And he is determined. Byakuya is in the best possible hands, and we, for now, are safe."

Ichigo let out a long breath and let his body relax in Aizen's embrace.

"You're right," he agreed, "We're safe and we have time to think. We also have a library full of information."

"Hmm," Aizen mused, "It is too bad that we don't have access to the royal archive. I saw a door in the back of the archive and I overheard that it leads to the royal realm, but Byakuya said that the only ones who can pass through are the Kuchiki leader and members of the royal family.

Aizen frowned and gave Ichigo a curious look.

"What is it? Do you have some kind of idea?" Ichigo asked.

"That vision you had showed us in a place that reminded you of the royal realm, right?" "Yeah," Ichigo affirmed, "but it also showed you taking life threatening damage! And we're not Kuchiki leaders or royal. What if the door somehow, I don't know. What if it attacks us because we aren't?"

"There is only one way to find out," Aizen said, lowering his voice, "Everyone is distracted by what has happened to Byakuya. While they are, we should try to slip in through that door."

"And you think that Squad Zero is just going to let you waltz in there like you own the place?" Ichigo objected, "Remember, I saw you get…!"

"Yes, I know. But we will be cautious. Ichigo, I need to search the royal archive. If Byakuya was here, he could do this, but he has been incapacitated. And with him injured, it could shift things with the Kuchiki council. They could decide to come in here and if they do while he is incapacitated, what do you think will happen? The safety we have and the access to information we may have, will disappear. I think there is no choice. I think we have to try. Ichigo, will you agree to this? Will you help me try to enter the king's archive?"


	14. Demons

**Chapter 14: Demons**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **(My thanks going out to Sophia87871661 (Thanks so much!), PrivateCaller (Willl do!), Willow (More is coming soon!), Picklez80 (No, you're the best!), TehWonderer (It's Kenny's birthday month, so this should get multiple updates!), Winterheart2000 (You've got it!), PleiadesWolf (Ooh, you're paying attention! And smart too!), TMP3475 (Oh, I think Kenny might interfere with that demon's plans...), Sariniste (Yup, and more excitement to come! Sorry about the long wait. But since it's Kenny's birthday month and he's a major character here, there will be more updates on this one.), Hisuiryuu (Aww, don't worry! Kenny and Ichigo aren't about to let anyone do in their families. I wouldn't want to be a demon named Adauchi right now! lol), SesshomaruFreak (I also enjoy well drafted OCs that fit well into the Bleach world. Balanced characters that are strong, but have some sensible weakness and characters that have good backstory interest me. Oddly enough, I created Tetsuya for Bearers of the New King as a character who was going to die. But the response from readers was so intense, I couldn't go through with it and he ended up growing into a well rounded character. I also love Shima-taicho31's Kuri and family because they bring something new and different to the storyscape, so I use them frequently too. It gives stories fresh flavors.), Yukino76 (You are most welcome!), and MsKurumi (Oh, Kenny will have a word with stubborn Bya after a really intense battle with Adauchi. Ah, and Ichigo will have to make a quick decision about what to do as far as the royal realm...) Happy reading! Love to all, Spunky)**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Ichigo's eyes narrowed and he glared at Aizen meaningfully.

"You don't think I'm really stupid enough to just give you a free pass into the royal realm," he snapped angrily, "After everyone fought so hard to keep you out of there? You want me to just let you waltz right in? And besides, what makes you think that you could? You don't have your powers right now, so you can't use an illusion to try to pass through."

"I don't expect any shinigami power would fool the protections on the archive," Aizen theorized, "although Squad Zero and Central 46 seemed spooked enough that they threw me back in Muken, even knowing my transcendent powers were gone."

"Yeah, that took me by surprise too," Ichigo admitted reluctantly, "cause I'd heard that the reason you were kept in Muken is because they couldn't stop your heart, so there was no way to execute you."

"That is the accepted criteria," Aizen agreed, "It is curious that they chose to place me back there, even in my normal shinigami state. Almost as if they were so spooked by me that their fears overcame their reasoning."

"I can kinda understand that," Ichigo said, giving the Daishima heir a little smile, "I was scared of you."

"I have that effect on people, mostly because I am unpredictable to most. Only very sharp minds, like Urahara Kisuke's, for example, can hope to anticipate me. You are somewhat unpredictable, yourself. Who would have thought that you would allow yourself to be used to make children with a devil like me. I understand the reasons you chose to do that now, but it still leaves me curious about you."

"Let's not get off the subject," Ichigo said sternly, "I'm not letting you into the royal realm."

"Let me ask you something," Aizen said smoothly, "What makes you think that in my present weakened form and lacking royal blood, that I _could_ enter the royal realm? I mean, if you think that the only way I could get in is with a trick, then what trick do you think I have up my sleeve?"

Ichigo paused, thinking for a moment, then he took a steadying breath.

"I don't know," he confessed more softly, "It's just this weird feeling I have. I don't know why I have it. I just feel in my heart that there's something about you. You were able to defy a lot of other rules. And plus…"

Ichigo trailed off, shaking his head and frowning. Aizen moved closer and curled an arm around him.

"And what?" he asked patiently.

Ichigo closed his eyes against the flicker in his chest and stomach at just the thought of admitting what he felt sure was driving his fear.

"When…when we were in that room, you know, the one where we…"

"Where we made the children?" Aizen supplied.

"Yeah," Ichigo answered, blushing at the memory of their spirited coitus, "when we were in there, it was like…that presence knew you and accepted you without thought."

"I am the Daishima heir."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, "you are. Thing is, even when Byakuya explained to us what that meant, it felt like it wasn't the whole story. In fact, he as much as admitted it wasn't the whole story. He called the Daishima clan a secret clan. That means that there was a lot other clans didn't know about them. They were involved in the process of choosing the new king."

"Yes," Aizen agreed, "they were. I was thinking about that. It makes sense that the process was kept secret, but…it follows that there must be a way that the information could be passed on in a case where something like our situation happened, where there was no one left alive to tell the story."

Aizen paused, thinking carefully.

"You remember the voice that spoke to us?" he asked.

"Yeah, I do."

"That voice had to come from somewhere. And since the Daishima clan was involved in the process of choosing the new king, I wondered if that voice could have been the voice of the prism."

XXXXXXXXXX

"What's the matter, Kenpachi?" the demon in front of the eleventh division taichou teased, "You aren't attacking. Why are you hesitating? I thought you loved fighting."

"I do," the big man answered, looking down at his sword, "and Nozarashi here is aching to taste your blood. He said something interesting too."

"Oh? What was that?"

Kenpachi grinned.

"Why don't you try cutting me with your claws and find out?" he urged the grinning demon.

"A delectable challenge," the demon laughed, "Doesn't what I said before concern you at all? Or do you lack the brainpower to understand that if you kill me, you will also kill Byakuya and your child?"

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with my ears or my head," Kenpachi answered, raising his blade and tilting it slightly.

"You have an actual plan, then?" the demon inquired, looking amused, "I can't see how attacking me can work in your favor. Please, educate me."

"I have every intention of doing that," Kenpachi growled, his reiatsu glowing around him, "See, I'll even tell you before I slice you up, because I figure after will be too late, right?"

The demon glowered at him and gave no reply.

"See, you're a demon."

"I am aware of that," Adauchi said dryly, "Please don't bore me with the obvious. Get to the point."

"You want the point," Kenpachi drawled, "I'm getting to that."

"Well, hurry. I have things to do."

"Things to do?" Kenpachi repeated, "You mean, like dying? Cause, you're about to die. You just don't know it yet."

"And how are you, a shinigami, going to kill me?" the demon asked condescendingly.

"I'm not gonna be a shinigami in a minute," Kenpachi explained.

"Ah," the demon mused, "You mean, you're going to use your bankai. I have seen it."

"Then, you know."

"It gives you a demon form," Adauchi acknowledged, "I begin to see."

"Yeah," Kenpachi said, nodding, "See, I figure that demons are kinda like pack creatures."

"Hmm, barbaric, but it makes a sort of sense."

"You put reiatsu in Byakuya and the baby that marks them like they're yours."

"They are mine," Adauchi said in a warning tone.

"Maybe for now," Kenpachi agreed, "But, what you told me suggests there are rules. Rules that even you have to follow. If you mark them, they belong to you. But…it follows under pack law that if I defeat you in battle, then what belonged to you, belongs to me, right?"

Adauchi gave him a derisive look.

"That is something you are never going to know, because you are going to die before you can learn it!"

"I don't think so," Kenpachi snarled, his eyes glowing and his sword rising.

"What? No first slash to draw some blood before you get serious?"

"You threatened my mate and my kid," Kenpachi roared, his reiatsu exploding around him, "I'm gonna fucking destroy you!"

"You…!"

"BANKAI!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo looked back at Aizen's face carefully, searching for signs of deception.

"You really think that could have been the voice of the prism?" he mused, "But Byakuya said that the regent has the prism. How could it speak to you if…?"

"You are familiar with Kuchiki Tetsuya's attachment to his stallion, Arashi, ne?" Aizen asked.

"Uh, yeah," Ichigo confirmed, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck thoughtfully, "He told me about it."

"And you know that he can exchange thoughts with Arashi, even at great distances. In fact, very little is known to disrupt their connection to the point where they cannot communicate with each other."

"Yeah, that's true," Ichigo affirmed, "but I also know that Arashi is a part of Tetsuya. They're parts of one soul that separated because Tetsuya's body was too weakened by the torments of the noble's prison to house the power that he wields. That's how Kisuke explained it, anyway."

"That's all right," Aizen said, nodding, "because if you think about what the king's prism is, then it makes sense that it might be able to communicate with the Daishima heirs, who was most intimately connected to the choosing of the king."

Ichigo frowned.

"But if that's all true, then why hasn't anyone asked the prism to talk to you about identifying a new king?" he asked, "They don't trust you, so I guess that could be it. Maybe they are banking on one of these kids you're having to be…"

"A better choice than me," Aizen finished, "however…"

He broke off as a tapping sounded on their chamber door.

"Come in," Ichigo answered.

The door opened and Kuchiki Tetsuya entered the room, followed by Shima Kurushimi. The Shima leader gave Aizen a wary glance, but remained silent.

"Ichigo-sama," Tetsuya said solemnly, "I came to inform you that Urahara Kisuke has sent several texts he found that made mention of the Daishima family."

"Oh, thanks," Ichigo replied, accepting the books, "Is there any word on Byakuya?"

Tetsuya's face fell.

"Not yet," he said sadly, "He is keeping Byakuya-sama under a powerful sleep kido and he is guarded carefully while Kisuke continues to try to help him. He was able to isolate and remove the demon reiatsu, but my cousin's own reiatsu was changed by it, so…there are complications."

"You think that Kuchiki taichou will become a demon," Aizen concluded.

"That is Urahara-san's estimation," Tetsuya confessed, lowering his eyes, "He is consulting all of the sources available to him, but…"

"But again," Aizen said, frowning, "they are forgetting the obvious."

"And that is?" Tetsuya asked, looking at Aizen with a darkly curious expression.

"The spirit demons are creatures of the royal realm. If you want to have any hope of curing Byakuya completely, then it is there that we must look for answers."

"Squad Zero has already refused all of us entrance into the royal realm," Tetsuya said anxiously, "They said that there is nothing they can add to what we already know."

Tetsuya paused, his hands clenching. Kuri laid a hand on his fiance's shoulder.

"Tetsu-hana…" he said warningly.

"They as much as said that they think we should just kill Byakuya-sama now!"

"The _bastardos_ would just rather let him die than to let us in to look for that cure!" Kuri snapped.

"I get that for the protection of the king, we're not supposed to go in there," Ichigo said in a low, furious tone, "but I don't get how they can think of just throwing away the leader of the greatest of the clans! That's bullshit!"

"They are afraid of something," Aizen deduced, "They are terrified of the idea of letting any of us in. Why, I wonder? What are they hiding?"

"I don't know what they're hiding," Tetsuya said, his reiatsu darkening, "but I will not stand by and let my cousin die!"

"But, what can you do, Tetsu-hana?" Kuri asked sadly, "Byakurai is the only one of your family who can open that door. Unless he dies or…"

"Or unless he is replaced by a vote of the elder's council," Tetsuya said determinedly.

"What are you thinking, Kuchiki Tetsuya?" Aizen asked.

"I am thinking that I can go before the council to be granted interim leadership. Assuming that we may need to euthanize our leader, and that he is incapacitated, it falls within the rules for an approved family member to be granted interim leadership."

Kuri's eyes widened.

"Is that allowed?" Ichigo asked.

"It is," Kuri assured him, "But it is risky, is it not, Tetsu-hana?" the Shima leader posited, "After all, if the elders agree that an interim leader is needed, but you fail to be approved, then another could be approved instead of you. You know that your devil cousins, Orochi and Sasune are both in line for something like that…"

"And you know that Byakuya-sama still has enough influence on the elders that the majority will respect his wishes as set in his contingency plans. I can do this."

"I think Tetsuya is right," Aizen said firmly, "He should go and try to win approval to lead. That will allow him to enter through the interior door and gain access to the king's library. I am certain that the answers we all need are there. You should go now, and I would strongly suggest that you take Shima Kurushimi with you as protection. Someone may have thought of this. You have already been targeted once, Tetsuya."

"He is right," Kuri agreed.

"But…Kuri and I were the only ones here, standing guard," Tetsuya objected, "I do not feel comfortable entrusting your safety to anyone else on the regular house staff. The hatred over Aizen Sousuke's past crimes runs deep."

"Understandably," Aizen acknowledged.

"I can take care of Sousuke," Ichigo assured the other two men, "You two should go and see the council. We're safe in here. Nothing's gonna happen to us."

"Come," Kuri urged Tetsuya, "You know he is right. They are safe in the archive and Byakurai needs us."

"Very well," Tetsuya said, meeting Ichigo's eyes meaningfully, "Be careful, Ichigo. I know just how determined these enemies are to end the Daishima line. Do not leave the archive, not for any reason."

"We won't," Ichigo promised.

Aizen and Ichigo watched silently as the other two men left, then Ichigo turned to his darker mate, studying him carefully.

"You really wanted them to leave," he observed, "but I don't think it had as much to do with Tetsuya becoming interim leader as you being up to something. What're you up to?"

Aizen gave him a charismatic smile.

"Nothing escapes you," he said appreciatively, curving a warm palm around Ichigo's blushing cheek, "Yes, I wanted them to leave. I think that you and I should try, while they are gone, to pass through that doorway."

"And what exactly makes you think we can?" Ichigo countered.

"I honestly don't know," Aizen admitted, "but it will not hurt anything if we attempt this, ne? If we can't get in, then we wait for the others as planned, but if we can, then we can find the information on the demons and on the Daishima family that is crucial right now. What do you think, Ichigo?

Ichigo closed his eyes, breathing slowly and considering their options.

"Well," he said, after some thought, "I still think we won't be able to get in, but you know, it's bugging me that Squad Zero and Central 46 are acting so weird about this. There's also a wacko out to kill you and we have no idea why they're going to these lengths. I think you're right that the answers are in there and the longer we wait, the more danger we're all in. So, yeah, let's give it a try."

Aizen's lips curled into a devilish smile and he followed Ichigo out of the bedroom, through the archive and to the golden door at the very back. Ichigo took a steadying breath.

"Go on," he urged Aizen, "Give it a try."

Aizen studied him for a moment and shook his head gently. Ichigo looked back at him questioningly.

"I thought…?"

"Together," Aizen said, extending a hand, "Now, Ichigo."

His heart in his throat, Ichigo extended a hand and together the two men touched their palms to the golden door. For a moment, the archive went silent and the men breathless. Then, their eyes rounded in surprise as golden light flared around them and the door to the royal realm opened.


	15. Red Nightmare

**Chapter 15: Red Nightmare**

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 **(Huge thanks going out to head Aizen Cheerleader, Sariniste and sincere gratitude to Picklez80 (New chapter right here!), ShariBerry89 (So happy you like it!), PrivateCaller (Will do!), Meenathequeen (So good to hear from you! Oh, there is a reason as the two are about to learn!), ShadowEndowedNiceties (Ah, yes, many, many secrets! And no one has all pieces of the story, so there will be lots of twists! Glad you are enjoying that!), Raven325 (Sure thing! More chapters are coming soon!), TMP3475 (Kenny wouldn't admit it, but Bya is his little dumpling and he's not going to share with anyone. Adauchi stepped over a line and is about to learn why doing that with Kenny is a really, really bad idea!), Sariniste (Lots of discovery is about to happen and it will become clear quickly that there are several different groups manipulating the situation. Lots of twists!), Yukino76 (Normally, Kenny would want to enjoy the fight, but NO ONE messes with his Bya-bo!), and SesshomaruFreak (Kenny's on the warpath and Ichigo and Aizen are about to figure things out. But even knowing the truth just opens another can of worms. Twisty little muse is working overtime!) Enjoy the new chapter! Love, Spunky)**

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Adauchi watched with baleful eyes as red light exploded from Kenpachi's hulking form, eerily lighting the wide corridor of the precipice world that they occupied. Almost immediately, a siren began to shriek and a heavy rumbling rose up in the distance. Adauchi huffed out a fiery breath and scowled.

"Now, look what you've done," he complained, "You not only told the Gotei exactly where to come, you've also summoned the damned cleaner. If you wanted any kind of fight, you just sabotaged it to pieces."

The demon took slow, graceful steps forward as Kenpachi's shadowed body began to vibrate and bulge grotesquely as it slowly transformed.

"You have no right calling this monstrosity of yours a demon form," he said, indicating the sleek, exotically beautiful lines of his own body, "It is an insult to assume all demons are stupid, graceless, and ugly like you! You are going to find out that the most powerful of our kind have deadly intelligence and are graceful, even when slaughtering our victims."

His scowl deepened at the ear-splitting shriek the erupted from Kenpachi's demon form as the haze that had formed around it thinned and began to dissipate.

"You are not worthy of the likes of me," Adauchi scoffed, "Your pea-sized brain can't even conceive of what a true demon is. But don't worry, I will instruct you."

He glared down at the crouched red demon, who bared its teeth and hissed warningly.

"Even the most primitive beast can be reached through something that the most simple mind can understand."

He moved suddenly and slashed at the red demon, easily landing a wicked blow. He disappeared for a moment, appearing a moment later, some distance away. His aroused eyes watched intently as blood oozed out of a large slash on the red demon's muscular breast.

"You're not only stupid, you are slow," Adauchi taunted him, "You…"

The slender demon broke off suddenly as pain registered along the back of one shoulder and arm. A sound of surprise and rage erupted from his curled lips as blood dripped from a long slash. Across from him, the red demon raised a bloodied claw, sniffing for a moment, before licking the mess clean and whining hungrily.

"How dare you think you are worthy of drawing my blood!" Adauchi seethed, his crazed eyes burning a harsher red-golden and his evil reiatsu exploding around him, "Feel proud, even though you are going to die. I don't usually allow weaklings like you to cut me. Enjoy the privilege while you can."

With a wicked snarl, Kenpachi's demon form launched itself at Adauchi, screeching and slashing viciously. The slighter demon moved swiftly, catching the red demon's front claws, then surging forward to strike at his vulnerable throat. As his fanged teeth snapped shut, they encountered only air, and the demon lunged clear, striking wildly as he felt Kenpachi's form pass dangerously close to his. He landed on a small ledge, panting in recovery and holding his side, where a new wound bled. Kenpachi crouched on the ground underneath the ledge, growling and bleeding from a slash across his back.

"I will take you apart, piece by piece if I have to!" Adauchi screamed, attacking again, "Once you are gone, there will be no one who can stop us!"

Kenpachi's glowing red eyes fixed on him.

"I suppose you want to know who we are and why we have attacked Byakuya and his cousin."

 _I know why you attacked them_ , Kenpachi rasping voice hissed in Adauchi's mind.

Adauchi gave him a scathing glare.

"So, you can communicate," he said haughtily, "I must admit I'm surprised you have the capacity."

 _I can do this because I drank your blood. I can also track you every damned place you go. I don't need to ask you any questions. I'll just rip you to shreds and see who comes to cry over the little bits of trash I leave behind._

"I see there is no end to your arrogance," the demon seethed, "But arrogance isn't going to be enough to kill me! "You are just a shinigami, and you are going to fall now."

Kenpachi started to reply, but was forcibly stopped as a hooded figure flash stepped in behind him and drove a sword into his back. The red demon arched his back, howling in pain and fury as blood exploded around him. He struck out blindly, slashing with the claws on his hands and feet, spinning away and slashing again repeatedly until he felt an impact that said he had been successful. He dropped to the ground and remained crouched, searching the dark corridor until he found the hooded man crouched a short distance away, holding the badly slashed and bleeding Adauchi against him.

 _Give him to me!_

"No," rasped an oddly distorted voice, "You may have won back the souls he fed on, but I am not going to let you kill him. I still need him. Zaraki Kenpachi, you should be careful. You think Adauchi is evil, but he doesn't hold a candle to Aizen Sousuke. That bastard will kill us all!"

 _And you think that pansy demon there is going to save you? Think again. I beat him. He's mine to eat. Give him to me!_

"I told you no!"

Kenpachi launched himself forward, but as soon as he moved, the hooded man and injured demon disappeared, leaving him alone in the corridor as the cleaner closed in. Kenpachi turned as the cleaner reached him, opening his mouth into a crazed shriek that made the cleaner halt in its tracks and begin to vibrate violently. The red demon slashed and the cleaner exploded, throwing him backwards, so that he crashed into one of the gooey walls and slid to the floor. He watched the corridor darken into blackness, then he sat panting as his body slowly regained its shinigami form.

"F-fuck!" he gasped, dragging himself to his feet.

He staggered away, following the faint trail of Byakuya's blood that led him to the proper exit. He passed through the open senkaimon and dropped down into Kisuke's underground training area, instantly collapsing onto his knees.

"Shit. I need to get to Byakuya."

He heard a flash step nearby and grinned weakly up at the shopkeeper as he appeared.

"You look like you tangled with the same demon Byakuya did," Kisuke observed, "Only, luckily for you, your demon form makes you immune to their power to transform you. Byakuya wasn't so lucky. It's not looking good, Kenpachi."

"It's fine," Kenpachi snapped, "I fucked up the demon enough that Byakuya's mine now. Just…tell me what I've gotta do."

Kisuke thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Come with me."

Kenpachi followed the shopkeeper up, into the house and down the hallway to one of the guest rooms that had been surrounded with a powerful barrier. The two men looked in through the open door to where Byakuya's oddly hunched, naked, disheveled form crouched in the back corner of the room. Strange pink eyes glowered at the two men outside the room and Byakuya's demonized form hissed and spat fire at them.

"Shit, you weren't kidding," Kenpachi mused.

"Nope. He's transformed. If you hadn't beaten that demon, I would have to kill him right now. But you say you won him back?"

"Yeah. The demon's not dead, cause some hooded guy came and grabbed him before I could finish the job. But he was fucked up and half dead, so I won the fight. Byakuya's mine."

"Okay," Kisuke said, his voice shaking slightly, "I don't know for sure, but I suspect that since your natural form is a shingami, Byakuya's gonna be a hybrid like you now."

"He'll have a demon form?" the big man asked, looking impressed.

Kisuke nodded.

"He's in it now. He doesn't have any control, so you have to get him changed back."

"Change him back how?" Kenpachi asked, giving him a confused look.

The shopkeeper licked his suddenly dry lips and shook his head.

"I'm, ah…not sure exactly. I think you oughta go in there and try to figure that out. Just be careful. He's a demon, he's powerful and he's pregnant. Nasty combination. Good luck, there!"

"Asshole," Kenpachi huffed as Kisuke touched the barrier to allow him to pass through.

Instantly, Byakuya's demon form launched itself across the room, hissing, spitting and slashing at him.

Kenpachi caught him by the upper arms and held him in place, fixing his eyes on the lovely, pale demon's deathly white skin, black hair and glowing, petal pink orbs.

"Hey Byakuya," he greeted the transformed noble, "What's say we get you outta that demon form and back into your shingami body so we can have a good fuck and forget all of this happened?"

Byakuya's pretty mouth opened, releasing a blast of fiery breath that singed Kenpachi's face and burned away much of what was left of his tattered clothes.

"Oh," Kenpachi purred, "you wanna play first!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo felt jolts of surprise and dismay as the golden door clicked loudly and swung open in front of them. The two men passed through and almost immediately heard the sounds of running feet outside the chamber.

"You go and look for what you need and I'll keep whoever this is from interfering," Ichigo said, heading for the huge, white double doors that led out, into the palace.

"Be careful, Ichigo," Aizen warned him, "Someone was willing to go to deadly lengths to see we would not reach this place, and Squad Zero did everything they could to keep us out."

"Yeah, I know," Ichigo acknowledged, "This has gotta stop. I'm gonna stop it."

A look of concern rose on Aizen's face, but the louder sound of approaching footsteps sent him flash stepping through the king's archive with his senses extended. He focused on the reiatsu that radiated around the archive, feeling almost like a live presence.

"I am the Daishima heir, come to learn what I must do to raise the new king!" he hissed softly.

Unsurprisingly, there was no answer. Aizen moved forward, his heart pounding as heavy knocking sounded on the double doors. Ichigo's reiatsu rose in a thick wave, pushing against the doors and holding them shut as the ones outside the doors tried to force their way in.

"C'mon, Ichigo," Tenjiro's voice called from outside the doors, "we know it's you and Aizen in there. You need to let us in. We wanna talk to you."

"Don't you think it's a little late for talking?" Ichigo yelled back, holding his reiatsu steady, "We would've come to you, but when Tetsuya tried to get your help with Byakuya, you blew him off. You didn't want any of us getting in here. And I wonder what kind of secrets you were trying to hide if Sousuke and I could get in here like this!"

"You don't know what you're talking about, boy!" Tenjiro shouted back, "Let us in! We know what's going on and we can help!"

"Like you _helped_ Byakuya?" Ichigo asked scathingly.

"We can't help that Kuchiki taichou was corrupted by a demon!"

"That demon has to be working with someone from Central 46!" Ichigo roared.

"You don't know what you're saying."

"The hell I don't!" Ichigo snapped angrily, "Look, I didn't trust Sousuke any more than you guys did."

"But, you trust him now?"

"I have to. I'm not just going on my instincts, here. It's what happened when we made the heirs, and it's the fact that the archive let us in. We didn't break in. It let us in. Byakuya told me that only the Kuchiki leader or a member of the royal family could pass through that door. If we came through that door, it means we have to be blood related to the royal family! The _real_ royal family! For some reason, you guys don't want the royal family to return. Tell me why. Tell me that and I'll open the doors."

"You know very well why we can't allow the royal family to return," Senjumaru said through the doors, "Aizen is a horrible, corrupt man. He is the Daishima heir, but his wickedness would corrupt whoever he put on the throne!"

Ichigo felt a hard jolt inside.

 _Wait a minute!_

 _The Daishima heir chooses the king._

 _Aizen…chose me?_

He stiffened against the sudden realization, looking back over his shoulder, then at the doors again.

"He'll corrupt whoever he puts on the throne, you say?" Ichigo repeated, his voice low and furious, "Even me?"

There was a long silence before Ichibei's voice sounded.

"You are a good man, Ichigo. You have proven that you are worthy of such a thing. But…the truth is, you were not just chosen by Aizen, you were _made_ by him! He is the face of evil. His name is wickedness. We cannot allow wicked power to gain control."

"You're a funny one to talk about evil," Ichigo argued, placing a hand on the reiatsu locked doors, "The king's prism…it spoke to us. We heard its voice and it accepted me as Sousuke's choice. I didn't know what it meant. Only just now, when we were able to enter the archive did I figure out what it all meant. You are standing in the way of the rightful king. Honestly, I don't wanna be king. But I can see now that it's my fate."

"Ichigo, you have a choice about this fate," Ichibei advised him stoically, "Think about this carefully. Placing you on the throne is risky, because it makes Aizen your consort. He will be a breath away from stealing the throne."

"Sousuke doesn't want to steal the throne," Ichigo said, his teeth clenching, "He just wants to see the rightful king there. The king's prism accepted this. Why can't you?"

"I hear what you're sayin' Ichigo," Oetsu chimed in, "and trust me, it's not about you. It's about keeping a monster off the throne."

"I just told you that Sousuke doesn't want the throne!" Ichigo yelled, "He never really did!"

"Oh? And whaddya call his betrayal? Huh? Whaddya call that?" Tenjiro demanded, "He said he wanted to be king!"

"He said he was going to fill the vacancy at the top!" Ichigo roared, "And back then, he didn't know what I was going to become. It wasn't a sure thing I would be strong enough. It wasn't a sure thing that I would live!"

"It's still not," Tenjiro said warningly, "Ichigo, we can't allow this."

"Well, you don't have a choice. The Daishima heir chose the king and if you can't accept it, I guess you're gonna have to kill me."

"We don't want to hurt you," Hikifune said sadly, "Like Ichibei said, you are a good man."

"But you want a weak regent who you can control. Is that it?" Ichigo asked angrily, "You know that as long as there is a weak king, Central 46 controls things. And now, you know that someone in Central 46 is working with a _demon_ to kill Sousuke and end the Daishima line. If I were you? I would be looking for who is helping that demon, and I wouldn't stand in the way of the rightful king's return! If you want to have a prayer of preventing demons from infiltrating in the Seireitei and here, then you need to fucking listen to me!"

"You're saying you want the throne?" Tenjiro asked, "We could put you there, but you have to let us imprison Aizen."

"And the kids?" Ichigo asked, scowling, "Those kids are mine too! I'm not letting you do this to Sousuke and our kids!"

"We will put him in a safe pocket dimension and he can have all of the comforts you want," Ichibei offered, "We can even allow the children to be born first and to continue the royal line."

"We just have to insist that Aizen Sousuke not be allowed free rein in the royal realm," Senjumaru said firmly.

"Well, as I see it, you don't have any say about that," Ichigo said in a low, furious tone, "Sousuke and I are in this together. I'm not backstabbing him."

"It really wouldn't be like that," Hikifune reasoned, "We don't have to hurt him."

"You just wanna lock him up," Ichigo snapped, "It's not happening! You can't do that. I won't let you!"

"Do we need to remind you what Aizen has done?"

"I'll bet you know, don't you?" Ichigo seethed, "You know what Central 46 did to Sousuke and his family…don't you? You know why he became the monster you're all so afraid of?"

"So, he told you?" Tenjiro asked.

"No, he didn't tell me," Ichigo corrected him, "I saw while we were mentally connected during our battle. I saw it and it nagged at me for a long time. I get it now. I know the Central 46 sages didn't want the rightful king to return. They wanted the power to run things their own way. They ruined Sousuke's life and Sousuke escaped, and he took revenge. In his vengefulness, he created me and the king's prism accepted me. Sousuke and I have every right to be here. We are going to find out the whole truth now. Just leave us alone to do that."

"I'm afraid we can't," Ichibei said sadly, "I am sorry, Ichigo. We didn't want to do this."

Ichigo sucked in a surprised breath and flash stepped back as something crashed into the doors, shattering them and leaving only the barrier of his reiatsu.

"We don't want to hurt you," Tenjiro said, raising his staff, "But you're giving us no choice."

XXXXXXXXXX

Aizen Sousuke felt a twinge of discomfort at leaving Ichigo alone, but knew better than to hesitate. He hurried through the king's archive, scanning the shelves quickly, but finding no hint of a reference that would prove helpful. He closed his eyes, then, and reached out with his senses, turning this way and that, then tensing as he felt a flutter of reiatsu teasing him towards the back of the archive. Little whispers filled his mind, urging him forward. He followed the touches of reiatsu, honing in on the source, then came to a stop at the entrance to what looked to be a restricted area. A short search led him to a little panel that was just the right size for some kind of scanner. He studied carefully, then touched a hand to it.

 _Welcome home,_ the voice he had heard while making the children spoke into his mind, _If you are ready to hear it, let me lead you to the truth. Come._

The door to the restricted area clicked and creaked slowly open.

 _Come, Aizen Sousuke, it is time for you to learn exactly who you are!_


	16. The Godbearer

**Chapter 16: The Godbearer**

Sousuke felt a strange shimmer in the air around him as he stepped into the restricted section of the king's archive, and instantly found himself being dropped into what felt like an unending fall. The sensation might have been alarming, but for the familiar voice that sounded in his mind as he was spun for a moment, then encountered a feeling that was more like being suspended in a thick liquid. He could breathe easily, and he sensed immediately that whatever the gooey stuff was, it seemed to be harmless.

 _You have been attacked recently._

"Yes, but I was not badly damaged," Aizen answered calmly, "Ichigo and the others that Byakuya has positioned around me have been diligent. Our enemy is just very crafty."

 _Your enemies!_ The voice snapped, _You fail to understand, there is not one, but there are many who want you to die, rather than to see you achieve your destiny. It is no mistake that it took so long and was so difficult to try to reach this point. The noble houses, with the exception of the Kuchiki, Shiba and Shihoin clans, have betrayed us!_

Aizen blinked slowly in the blackness.

"Who exactly are you?" he asked, "You are the one from before, the one who spoke to Ichigo and me, who guided us in the making of the Daishima heirs. But I sense you are more than even just that."

The voice stilled for one long, breathless moment.

 _There is only one heir._

"What are you saying?" Aizen asked, frowning, "Are you telling me that only one of the four children I am carrying is going to be born alive?"

 _No._ _I am telling you that you are only carrying one child and that child is not a Daishima heir…but a royal one!"_

Aizen's breath caught is surprise.

"But we were told…" he began.

 _You were told the lie that we used to conceal the truth of your nature. Aizen Sousuke, while you are the Daishima heir and you will revive the bloodline, there is more to who you are than that, by far. The Daishima story goes back to the very beginning of the known worlds. Much of the history has to be concealed, because of the danger in allowing others to know. In fact, the failure of the Daishima and royal bloodlines was the direct result of the interference of our enemies._

"What enemies are those?" Aizen inquired, "You said that only the Kuchiki, Shiba and Shihoin families were blameless, were trustworthy. So, do you mean that all of the other clans are enemies of the true king?"

 _The truth is not so black and white as that_ , the voice intoned, _and it is not our intent to throw away the power of the clans we created. We need to ferret out the ones who would bring about this kind of betrayal again, and we need to destroy them!_

"Not meaning to deny you your revenge," Aizen said, smirking, "but I am hardly in a condition, without my powers and carrying the royal heir, to destroy anyone."

 _No, you must bear the royal heir first, without your enemies being given the chance to kill you and the child._

"I am curious," Aizen mused, "You say that this is one child, but we all sensed four reiatsus in the spirit chamber. What causes this?"

Aizen blinked and stared as a soft glow appeared in the blackness in front of him, resolving into an image of his pregnant body and lighting the spirit chamber where it rested in his abdomen.

 _When you chose Shiba Ichigo and the two of you mated, you granted Ichigo regency. He is now the rightful king. The rightful king bears in his body the essences of each of the four civilizations…humans, quincies, shinigamis and hollows. He has impregnated you with a fledgling god that also carries each of those essences._

The image in front of the Daishima heir shifted, showing the story as the quiet voice continued to speak it.

 _In the beginning of time, the universe held nothing and everything. There was potential, but that potential needed to be ignited. In the formless material, suspended in space, the first consciousness formed and so, the first souls. The first soul was the will of the universe to create, and out of that, the original incarnation of the soul king was born. He floated in space, dreaming endlessly of what he could create, but lacking the impetus to begin crafting. It was while in the thrall of his dreams that the call of another new soul reached him. The soul king asked this soul how he should be called and the soul answered him, "Daishima." The connection that grew between the king creator and the desirous Daishima soul was what led the king to first create our worlds._

"So," Aizen concluded, "the soul king, much like the hougyoku, employed his power through the desires of others?"

 _Yes, beginning with those of the Daishima progenitor. The king created the royal realm first, a sweeping paradise, a palace and lovely, vast gardens from which to rule. Then, the two created the balance of souls, an unending cycle of life, death and renewal so that the worlds would be self-sustaining. All four civilizations, humans, quincies, shinigamis and hollows played their role in that balance with the king to oversee them._

"But," Aizen mused softly, "at some point that was not good enough for some?"

 _The king realized that the worlds below him would need strong leaders, so he cultivated bits of his own power, joining them with residents of his gardens to fashion these very first noble lords, who first evidenced advanced abilities. The shinigami houses, the quincy houses, the hollow king and the lord of the living were all created to keep order in the worlds below the royal realm. For generations, these endured peacefully, and the relations between the king and his noble servants were good. It was not until later, a few centuries before the first war between the shinigamis and the quincies that things changed. There was unrest between the shinigamis and the quincies and both sides desired intervention from the king. But the king knew that to take sides would invite an imbalance between the four civilizations. When the king refused to involve himself, members of both the shinigami and quincy noble houses formed plans to neutralize the power of the king so that their positions were defended. Neither side seemed aware of how their plans would undo the necessary balances._

"So, you are saying that both the shinigamis and the quincies plotted to overthrow the first king?" Aizen breathed softly, watching as the images of the original traitors rose up in front of him.

 _Yes. The quincies became aware of an odd member of one of their noble houses, who was born without quincy abilities, but had the power to grant or take the powers of others. They made this quincy their leader and attacked the shinigamis, as they knew that the shinigamis protected the pathway to the royal realm. This is what you know as the first blood war. But, even before that war, a secret war, one hatched in the shinigami noble houses was already playing out._

"You are referring to the sickening and failure of the Daishima and royal lines?" Aizen inquired, his tone suggesting he already knew the answer to his own question.

 _I am. It was discovered too late for anything to be done, but what happened was that a faction that included powerful members of several of the noble shinigami houses, as well as several spirit demons, fashioned a poison from a compound that exists only in the precipice world. As you know, the precipice world is the only place that can contain true nothingness._

"True nothingness," Aizen repeated, "the antipathy of the soul king's potential."

 _Yes. This was somehow used to infect the Daishima noble family and the royal line, leading to their slow, but unavoidable deaths. It was amidst the final throes of this betrayal that the quincies invaded the royal realm in the first blood war, and it was easy for them to finish off the already dying king._

"Fortunately for the shinigamis," Aizen recalled, "Yamamoto soutaichou was able to overcome the quincy king, as well as his then young son, Ywach."

 _That is correct,_ the voice affirmed, _however, what you were told next was a lie._

"I know," Aizen intoned softly, "We shinigamis were told that the king survived, but I traveled to the royal realm with a mentor when I was younger. This is how I learned that the king on the throne was not a true king…just a prisoner."

 _When the king fell and the quincies were thrown down, the noble leaders of Central 46 ruled that the damaged, but still powerfully radiating quincy leader would replace the soul king and that he would be imprisoned in a special crystal housing that would allow him to keep the balance of souls. And so, it was, in fact, Ywach's own father who was slain when the quincies invaded this second time._

"I heard this from Byakuya," the Daishima heir acknowledged, "It has been hidden from the general public, but the defeated and imprisoned king I saw when I was younger was slain by Ywach and replaced with yet another regent."

 _Byakuya was forced to lie to even you about that_.

Aizen frowned.

"About the new regent?"

 _The new 'regent' is none other than Ywach's dead body. Even though cleared to tell you that Ywach killed the king, only Central 46 and the Gotei taichous are allowed to know that Ywach's still powerful corpse is currently maintaining the balance._

 _But this cannot go on._

"I agree. So, how do Ichigo and I fix this? How do we put Ichigo on the throne?"

The scene in front of Aizen's suspended body shifted again to show four panels, each of which reflected an image of one of the four civilizations.

 _You must bring forth the next heir. The process of doing this will grant you the right to the king's prism, and…_

The voice paused mid-sentence as Aizen's expression changed to one of intense wonder.

"It is as I suspected, isn't it?" he mused, " _You_ are the voice of the king's prism!"

 _I am._

 _I speak to you because, as a Daishima descendant, we are connected._

"But, if the Daishima line was poisoned, then how did I survive?"

 _You were not yet affected by the poison, and you were the last who was not. The decision was made to protect you by sending your soul into the soul well, so that you would be born to one of the four civilizations. Once born, your connection to me would slowly regrow, and eventually, you would seek to return to the king._

"This is what led to my fascination with making the hougyoku," Aizen realized, "I needed the hougyoku to create Ichigo, who I would choose to be king."

He paused, frowning.

"But…Urahara Kisuke also made a hougyoku. Does this mean…?"

 _Years ago, Urahara was a researcher. When you were detained by Central 46 and your family was slain, it was because your enemies knew that there was a possibility that a Daishima heir could have been hidden from them. This is why they were actively seeking to destroy those with very strong powers. This is why your family was killed and you were marked for death as well. They drew your blood and reiatsu, and it was while conducting several studies on it that Urahara was struck with a syringe that still had your genetic material inside. This invaded his systems and whispered into his mind the instructions for making the hougyoku._

"So, while all along, I thought I was stealing the research from him, he had stolen the ability to create the hougyoku from me," Aizen mused, smirking at the irony, "Interesting."

 _With the king identified and the royal heir conceived, we must work quickly._

 _Right now, I rest in the throne room, but I am able to speak to you because you and Ichigo because you carry the mark of the king and Daishima consort. No one can interfere with my voice reaching you to guide you. But you need more than my voice to guide you. You need to obtain the prism, itself. And this you must do by raising the next true king and providing his heir._

Aizen nodded briefly in acceptance.

"How do we birth the heir? I assume, from what you are showing me, that the process involves each of the four civilizations?"

 _Yes. You must travel to the living world, where you will locate the burial place of the fallen lord of the living. You will draw a measure of his reiatsu and give it to the developing heir. Next, you must visit the Hollow World, where you will travel to the ancient palace of the first hollow king to gain a measure of his reiatsu. You must then go to Ishida Uryu to gain entrance to the shadows, where you will obtain trace reiatsu from the first quincy king. Finally, you must return to the palace. The last reiatsu you need is already hidden in the facets of the king's prism. You need to possess the prism to bring forth the heir. Once you do, your powers will return, and you may face the ones who oppose you._

"You do realize that it will be impossible for Ichigo and me to move between worlds without being sensed?" Aizen objected, "We will constantly be pursued, and there is no way to hide from our enemies' eyes."

 _But there is._

 _You are the Daishima heir and even though you currently do not have your powers, you have a natural ability that you and Ichigo can use. As you now know, you are descended of a primordial soul, and as such, you can revert to pure soul state while you are in the royal realm and while you travel through the precipice world. You will only need to resume your konpaku form in each world to complete your tasks._

"This makes the precipice world a haven, except for the presence of the cleaner."

 _Zaraki Kenpachi destroyed the cleaner. It will not revive itself for several weeks. Use the precipice world as a haven when you must. But hurry. The power of your enemies is growing._

Aizen paused, considering for a moment.

"I understand that a demon is involved in the plots against me," he said in a calm, but disapproving voice, "It has corrupted Byakuya."

 _It has. And while you have been here, in the royal realm, its allies on the Kuchiki council of elders have gained enough power to declare Byakuya permanently incapacitated._

"What of Tetsuya's attempt to gain the approval of the council to act as leader?" Aizen asked.

 _His claim to leadership was overruled. There was an attempt made on his life as he exited the council hall, but this was stopped and Tetsuya was protected by the Shima leader. He is now under the Shima family's protection. You cannot return to the Kuchiki archive, but must go immediately to the living world to begin your quest._

"What of Byakuya? Is there truly no hope of curing him?"

 _Zaraki Kenpachi's demon form will help to control the change in his reiatsu, but only the touch of the returned king can cure him completely._

"So, he can be cured?"

 _If you are successful in your quest, then yes, he can be cured._

"That is good. Byakuya is most responsible for helping me to gain my freedom and to survive to begin this quest."

 _He is still a valuable ally. Kenpachi's demon form is dominant over his, so he is currently a hybrid. Central 46…_

"They are likely to order his death," Aizen speculated, "given that the demon who attacked him is working with our enemies."

 _Yes. You must protect Byakuya. As much as you need his support, he needs your protection._

"Byakuya will still be useful?"

 _His strength will be needed to secure your success. When you find him, take him with you. He will be dangerous to you, but in the long run, he will be more valuable. You must go now. The members of Squad Zero are under orders to stop you. They are acting on the orders of Central 46, which is being influenced by those who do not want the king to return. You and Ichigo must escape them._

 _Go now!_

The doorway behind him slammed open and Aizen tumbled out onto the floor. He scrambled to his feet and ran in the direction of Ichigo's raised voice. He rounded a corner and spotted the Shiba heir in front of the doors that led into the palace.

"Ichigo!" he shouted, racing towards the younger man.

Halfway there, he sensed someone passing through the door leading in from the Kuchiki archive.

 _This is the one Byakuya's enemies have put forth in his stead._

He burst past the one entering and raced to Ichigo's side, reaching him as the doors in front of them shattered. The members of Squad Zero advanced on them through the broken doors as a dark-haired, black eyed man moved in on them from behind.

"Take my hand!" Aizen panted, reaching for Ichigo.

"What are you…?" Ichigo began.

"Remember," Aizen hissed, loosing his reiatsu around them, " _Remember how we met_!"

Before the disbelieving eyes of the ones around them, the two dissolved into a glowing black substance that jiggled in the air for a moment, then disappeared in a puff of dark smoke.


	17. Phantoms

**Chapter 17: Phantoms**

 **(By request for Sariniste! Happy happy holidays to everyone celebrating. I am full of happiness, warm cookies and hot chocolate! What could be better? Love to all, Spunky)**

Byakuya felt the life coming back into his collapsed body, and he woke to find himself entangled in a mess of tumbled bedding, naked and roughly entwined with Kenpachi's also bared, curled and loudly snoring form.

 _What in kami's name happened to me? To us? The last thing I remember is watching as Renji was tossed aside and the demon dragged me down and pinned me. He promised me a slow, horrifying fall into death._

A hard shiver went down his spine.

 _I felt his fangs pierce my throat and then it seemed like ice filled my veins as he was draining me of blood, reiatsu and life._

 _Am I even still alive?_

He risked a glance at the parts of his body he could see and shivered harder at the little splashes of blood here and there, and the sticky feeling in between his thighs.

 _What of our child?_

He realized suddenly that Kenpachi had stopped snoring. The taller man's eyes had opened and were fixed on him. Kenpachi gave him a crooked smile.

"Good to see you awake, Kuchiki. You hurting anywhere?"

"Our baby?" Byakuya asked, his teeth clenching slightly.

"The kid's fine," Kenpachi assured him, "I gave you an infusion…that is, after my demon form held you down and beat a little sense back into you."

"I do not remember that," Byakuya said in a haunted tone, "I remember nothing after that demon struck Renji and attacked me. Is Renji all right?"

"He's fine," Kenpachi affirmed, "The rest of your team was decimated, but I kept the demon from killing the two of you."

Byakuya eyed him warily for a moment.

"Your demon form defeated that monster?"

Kenpachi shrugged.

"I beat him up enough so I won you back from him. I would've finished him off, but some asshole showed up and stole him away."

"Someone else? Did you recognize who it was?"

"Naw," Kenpachi drawled, "Bastard was wearing a hood, so I couldn't see his face. It was a guy's voice, so I know it was a man. That's all."

"Hmm," Byakuya mused, rubbing his hands over his face, "So, it seems that there is indeed someone working with this demon, most likely with plans to act against Aizen Sousuke as he tries to revive the Daishima bloodline."

"But Aizen wasn't with you. Why go after you?" Kenpachi asked.

"That part is easy enough, I suppose," Byakuya explained, "A demon can only enter Soul Society under a contract that includes heavy restrictions on the demon's reiatsu to protect our realm. Also, the one hosting the demon must provide victims for the demon to use to restore himself periodically. It is a strain on the demon and the host to keep everything in balance while the demon is here. The demon that attacked me was clear that I was going to be devoured to sustain him. I imagine you interrupted him before he completed his feeding."

"Yeah," Kenpachi said, smirking, "He was a little pissed at being interrupted, but he was happy enough to take a crack at me."

Byakuya frowned as he considered all that had happened.

"I was corrupted by the demon," he said solemnly.

"Yeah," Kenpachi confirmed, "but like I told you, I beat him up and won you back."

" _Won me back_ , you say? What exactly does that mean? Was Urahara Kisuke able to banish the demon's reiatsu?"

"Kinda," Kenpachi answered, "See, the problem is that you transformed completely to a very pretty white demon form. The demon who bit you was dominating you, then after I beat him, I had to dominate you to use my demon form to force you back into your shinigami form."

"Wh-what did you do?" Byakuya asked, paling, "Kenpachi…"

"Eh, it was no big deal. We bloodied each other up a little and had a pretty fierce fuck in there somewhere…"

"I think I am going to be sick."

"Hey, at least you're alive, right?"

"I am part shinigami, part _demon_ , you fool!" Byakuya seethed, "Please tell me that my family does not know!"

"Uh, actually, they do. Your pretty cousin, Tetsuya, went back to try to fix things up with the family, but they refused to let him stand in for you. According to Urahara, they picked another guy to lead and someone tried to kill Tetsuya as he was leaving the council hall."

"Is Tetsuya all right?" Byakuya asked quickly.

"He's okay. That little brown cupcake, Kuri, took him home to Shima Adobe and married him quick, before the family could try to do anything else to him. Tetsuya's fine. I'm sure he and Kuri are resting up after their wedding night."

"Do you mind?" Byakuya sighed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, "Things couldn't have gone more awry."

Byakuya paused, then a look of near panic rose in his dark eyes.

"What's wrong?" Kenpachi asked, frowning.

"If a new leader was chosen, then it means that person would have access to the archive! Ichigo and Aizen…"

He paused and closed his eyes against the thought.

"I'm sure those two can take care of themselves," Kenpachi reasoned.

"Aizen is mortal now, and his powers have been affected by the pregnancy," Byakuya said worriedly.

"Ichigo won't let anyone get to him."

"How can you be sure of that?" Byakuya asked, shaking his head.

"Hey," Kenpachi said, stunning the noble into motionlessness with a warm, penetrating kiss, "Ichigo's strong and he doesn't want Aizen to die…like I don't want you to die. He's gonna protect Aizen like I protect you. And, knowing Ichigo like I do, I don't think our buddy's gonna let Aizen die. So, relax for a second and let yourself recover. Your body's been through hell and your mind ain't workin' so great either."

"As though _you_ would be able to judge that…" Byakuya said dryly.

"Would you just take it easy and let me keep your reiatsu balanced?" Kenpachi complained, "I'm sure that Ichigo's got Aizen's back. They'll be okay, and I have a feeling that, if they get into trouble, the place they'll be most likely to head is here, to get Urahara's help."

Byakuya gave him a measured look.

"That sounds oddly reasonable…" he muttered.

"Yeah," Kenpachi agreed, "It's gonna be okay. Trust me, Ichigo's got this. Now, I think you need another infusion."

"I think you are right. I feel out of sorts."

"You look unbalanced," Kenpachi snickered.

"Shut up, Kenpachi."

The bigger man shrugged and grinned.

"We don't really need words anyway, do we? We're much better speaking with our bodies, eh?"

He laughed at the scathing look Byakuya gave him and leaned forward to begin the infusion. His hands came to rest on Byakuya's soft abdomen and he summoned his power, but a moment later, the two shinigamis scrambled to their knees and wrapped strong arms around each other as Urahara's shop began to shake violently and a powerful reiatsu resonated around them.

"Fuck!" Kenpachi breathed, "that's really something. But I thought that…"

"It is Aizen," Byakuya said with certainty, "Something has released his reiatsu in a feral, primal form!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya woke to a feeling of deep warmth and perfect comfort.

 _I know nothing is perfect right now, not with Byakuya-sama corrupted by that demon, me being pursued by the family and Ichigo trying to protect Aizen, who is now mortal and without his powers. Still, being here, being held by Shima Kurushimi is a comfort that makes everything else disappear, if only for this moment._

He stole a peek at his husband's handsome caramel colored face as Kuri snored contentedly, his arms curled firmly around Tetsuya's bared form.

 _We weren't really ready to be married._

 _He only pretended at first to be my fiancé to protect me from being used to help Aizen have the Daishima heirs, but in the days that followed, we started to get to know each other. Slowly, like the petals of the sakura at home, we began to open our hearts to each other. But as much as we were falling in love…our sudden marriage and the joining of our bodies in consummation was something we would have chosen to see to later. It is something we should have waited for, and I could tell it felt as wrong to Kuri as it did to me. But, what's done is done. His seed is in my body, and I already know I have conceived._

 _I'm scared._

 _I lost Naoki and our baby and I am afraid I will lose Kuri and this child too. I know I am a stronger person, but with everything going on…_

He felt Kuri's hand touch his face and realized that somehow his husband was now sitting up in front of him and studying his expression carefully.

"Are you all right, Tetsu-hana?" Kuri asked, caressing his cheek gently, "I did not hurt you?"

"No," Tetsuya answered, blushing, "Kuri-kuri-sama was gentle. I wasn't hurt."

"But even though we have kissed and touched a little, we were not ready to make love. I hope I have not made you unhappy, my love."

"I'm fine," Tetsuya said in a flustered tone, "I wasn't innocent."

"Neither of us was that," Kuri chuckled, glancing at the half-empty bottle of Tequila that sat on the nightstand, then shaking his head and looking back at Tetsuya, "But we were healing from pain that should have been seen to before we were together."

"It's all right," Tetsuya assured him, "Kuri-kuri-sama…"

"Stop," Kuri said, touching his lips lightly with a fingertip, "You are my husband now, and I don't want you speaking to me as though you are a slave. It is just Kuri-kuri to you, Tetsu-hana."

"Kuri-kuri," Tetsuya repeated, glancing down at his plundered body, "You did not hurt me. When you touched me, when you made love to me…I could feel that you were falling in love with me, just as I was falling in love with you."

"We can slow down now," Kuri said, looking into Tetsuya's wide blue eyes, "Now that the consummation has been done. You do not have to…"

Tetsuya leaned forward, bringing his lips to meet Kuri's in a warm, sweet kiss that left the Shima leader staring at his lovely partner in surprise.

"I hope that my husband was not about to tell me I don't have to feed his desires," Tetsuya said, looking amused at the rare blush his words brought to Kuri's face, "It seems that, as they say, the horse is out of the barn…and having experienced my husband's love, I will lie with Kuri-kuri any time he desires it. I hope that Kuri-kuri will feel comfortable feeding my desires too."

"Oh, Tetsu-hana," Kuri laughed, hugging Tetsuya tightly, then bringing him down onto his back on the bed, "you do not know the trouble you are getting yourself into!"

He sank deeply into Tetsuya's smiling mouth, sliding a hand downward to prepare him. But the twomen stiffened suddenly and sat up quickly, staring, wide-eyed as a heavy tremor went through the house, rattling doors and windows and making the pictures on Kuri's dresser fall over.

"What the fuck was that?" Kuri breathed anxiously, holding Tetsuya against him.

"I don't know," Tetsuya answered softly as pounding feet and raised voices sounded outside of their room, "But, I am sure that I sensed Aizen Sousuke's reiatsu!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo's mind whirled in confusion as it registered that his body seemed to have lost its shape and definition. He couldn't see with his eyes, but a different kind of introspective vision had roared to life, and he sensed that the form he and Sousuke had taken was no longer shinigami, hollow, quincy or human. Instead, they existed in a strange, dark gelatinous swell that swept into the precipice world and away as the stunned members of Squad Zero and the new Kuchiki leader stared after them. The gate slammed shut behind them and the two rolled forward in a squishy cloud that filled the corridor.

 _Don't worry, Ichigo_ , Aizen's voice spoke into his mind, _I will explain as we travel. Are you able to return my thoughts?_

There was a long pause, then Ichigo's voice reached out and touched Aizen's mind.

 _I am, but it's kinda strange. I don't know how I'm doing it._

He could feel Aizen's inward smile at his confusion.

 _You and I share a powerful bond, one more powerful than even I thought. When I entered the protected part of the royal archive, I was sent into this gelatinous state and I connected with the soul of the king's prism._

He instantly sensed Ichigo's confusion at his explanation.

 _The king's prism is in the royal archive?_

Aizen paused as he read the path ahead of them and quickly chose a pocket dimension he sensed was near and felt relatively safe. He turned them towards it sensing around them that the reiatsu sensitive walls were oozing freely as they passed.

 _We do not have to be in the presence of the prism for it to speak to us, Ichigo. We do not have to be in its presence to bring it close to us…for the power of the prism isn't really outside of us at all. It is…a part of us._

They reached the entrance to the pocket dimension and Aizen slowed to open the doorway. He crept inside and pulled Ichigo in behind him, then he closed the doorway and willed for them to regain their shimigami form. Ichigo shivered at the strange feeling as his body shifted to it's solid form, and he found himself standing in a quiet field, near the edge of a lake and thick woods. Aizen's hands gripped his shoulders, holding him steady as he swayed for a moment, then seemed to get his bearings.

"Are you all right now, Ichigo?" Aizen asked, looking into the younger man's eyes appraisingly, "I know that must have been unsettling to be whisked away in that manner. I would have done a better job of explaining, but haste was in order. We are safe here for the short term, but we should talk quickly, then resume our trip."

"Our trip to where?" Ichigo said, looking back at the closed entrance to the pocket dimension, "Where are we supposed to go that Squad Zero won't sense us? Won't they even sense us eventually if we stay here?"

"Yes," Aizen affirmed, "But we need not remain here for long. I just chose it as a place we could stop so that I could explain what I learned when I entered the royal archive. Ichigo, there is a reason we could pass through the door in the Kuchiki archive."

"I get it," Ichigo acknowledged, "We aren't Kuchikis, so we have to have a strong connection to the royal family. I just don't get how we are connected. I mean, the Daishima family chooses the king, right?"

"Yes."

"But that doesn't make you royal," Ichigo concluded, giving him a confused look, "so how did you pass through the door? How did I?"

Aizen started to answer, but before he could speak, his face paled and took on a discomfited expression.

"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked, "Sit down."

Aizen sat at the edge of the water and ran his hands over his face.

"I am drained from the effort of interacting with the king's prism and making our escape while carrying…"

He paused again and laid a hand on his abdomen. Ichigo watched him closely, reading the uncertain look in his dark brown eyes.

"I have so much to tell you," Aizen continued, "but I feel weak."

"I can give you an infusion," Ichigo offered.

Aizen nodded and rested on his knees as Ichigo moved in behind him and wrapped his arms around the elder man's rounded belly.

"Your stomach has gotten bigger," Ichigo mused, rubbing Aizen's belly gently, then beginning the infusion, "It's like it's speeding up."

"It is," Aizen explained, "But, before the birth, there is something that we have to do. Ichigo, you need to understand, the prism's voice informed me that the children I am carrying are…not what we were told to expect. Not at all."

Ichigo gave him a quizzical look.

"What do you mean?"

Aizen considered his words carefully.

"I am not having four children, or even the Daishima heirs," he said finally.

"What?" Ichigo said, looking confused, "I don't understand. We were told…"

"We were told the lies that were planted with the Kuchiki family to protect us. You see, you and I are not together from pure choice. There is a large measure of fate in who we are and what we have become."

"You've kinda explained that," Ichigo said, his confusion increasing, "I know you were able to make me, using the hogyoku, and that I was an object of your desires."

"Yes, but you are not just that," Aizen said firmly, "Even before I was identified as a Daishima heir, I acted on that part, first sensing my need for you, then creating you and bringing you to life in your mother's body. I never knew as I did this, that I was responding to a need that is born of the essence of who you and I both are."

"I'm not really following you," Ichigo sighed, "What are you trying to tell me? What was that, that happened with Squad Zero? Why is everyone trying to mess with us? Why are we running right now? Who is trying to kill us? Who tried to kill Byakuya?"

"Ichigo, you know that the first incarnation of the soul king was not created here. He was a mass of conscious, primordial matter."

"Like that goo we turned to," Ichigo agreed.

"Exactly."

"How did you turn us into that stuff anyway? I thought that the pregnancy took away your powers."

"That was no power I used," Aizen explained, "It was merely us shifting from one state, a shinigami state, to another…a primal state."

Ichigo gave him a skeptical look.

"People don't just shift to goo like that without it being a power," he argued.

"Most do not," Aizen confirmed, "but you and I are different, Ichigo. The voice of the king's prism arises from the presence of the primordial souls of the kings and consorts of the past incarnations. Each time a new incarnation is born, the old ones enter the prism and guide the new king and consort in their duties. The ones that spoke to us during the mating, the ones who tested you after I chose you…they were not just testing you for fitness to father the Daishima heirs. Ichigo, they were testing you for fitness to become the new incarnation of the soul king!"

"What?" Ichigo objected, "Sousuke, that's not possible! I mean…the king? Me? I'm no king! I'm just…"

He paused, reading Aizen's completely serious expression.

"No way," he muttered.

"I am the Daishima heir," Aizen continued, "I sensed the need and I made the moves that resulted in your birth and every step of your development. Then, when I chose you to father what I believed to be the Daishima heirs, you were judged by the former incarnations of king and consort…and you received their approval. This is what allowed us to pass through the door into the archive."

"Okay, if I'm king, that sort of makes sense. But you…"

"I am the Daishima heir, and…I am your consort. I was made so when I chose you and we mated. Ichigo, the baby I am carrying is not the Daishima heir."

"Baby? There are four…"

"There is one," Aizen said firmly, "Think about it. You, Ichigo, are a hybrid, just as the king is a hybrid being. In your body, you carry the markers of Shinigami, hollow, human and quincy. When you impregnated me, you impregnated me, not with four separate heirs, but one heir who carries the markers of all four civilizations. This," he said, laying his hand on his abdomen, "is not four Daishima heirs, but is _one royal heir_. And before we can bring this child to life, we must travel to each of the four civilizations and gather reiatsu from the former lords of those realms. Our child's body requires this before it can be fully matured and born."

Ichigo frowned and went silent, considering Aizen's argument carefully. Well aware of his ginger-haired mate's penchant for impatience, Aizen waited silently, giving him tome to think.

"This is really hard to take in," Ichigo said finally.

"I agree," Sousuke said in a weary tone, "I understand this is hard for you."

"I'm not a king," Ichigo sighed, shaking his head, "I don't want to be one. All along, I've just wanted to be normal."

"Yes," Aizen agreed, "and it may surprise you or…knowing of my past as you do, it may not, but…I also once craved an ordinary life. But you and I were never destined for that. And as much as we might wish things were different, we are who we are. We are connected to the first incarnation of the soul king, whose primal form encountered the primal form of the first Daishima."

"The first Daishima was a transcendant, like the king?" Ichigo asked, giving him a shocked look.

"Yes. This is not in the histories, because much of it was concealed so that the procedure for making the new incarnations of each king would be protected form those who would subvert the process. In this case, the king's own noble servants are responsible for the loss of the last king and the succession of imposters that has reigned for so long. It is time, Ichigo, for the lies to be cast down and the true king to claim the throne."

"And how do I know that what you're telling me is true?" Ichigo demanded, "How do I know it's not one of your tricks? You've played with everyone up to now. Why should I believe you?"

Aizen closed his eyes and let out a long breath, resting his back against Ichigo's strong chest as he continued the stabilizing infusion.

"Do you really think that the man you know me to be would submit to anyone, even you, if there was not a compelling reason? What do you make of the fact that I built you from the beginning, that I made sure that you grew strong. I molded you as you grew, until you were stronger than me. I helped you when you fought the quincy king."

"You didn't do that for me."

"No, I did it at the time, for what I thought were selfish reasons, but I gave up my transcendence without hesitation, and when I was identified as the Daishima heir, I agreed to let you impregnate me. What does all of this tell you?"

Ichigo sighed and went silent again, considering everything that had happened.

"It tells me that I have to be careful. You've been helping me, as you put it, but you admit doing it for selfish reasons. I don't know if I can trust what you say, because you have told so many lies."

"Tell me if this is a lie, Ichigo," Aizen said, turning in his arms and bringing their lips together in a long, passionate kiss, "because I do this and I feel the truth. There is no one for me but you. There never has been. You have the power and I have the desires. This is how our worlds were born…and this is how we will rise up again to protect them."

Ichigo stared quietly into the eyes of the Seireitei's most wicked shinigami, his eyes blinking slowly as Aizen's image shimmered and shifted strangely in front of him. His heart throbbed in his chest and he heard the deep, commanding voice of the king's prism.

 _We have done all that we can and the Daishima heir has opened his heart to you. There is nothing more to be done that your will._

 _Make your choice._

 _You hold our fates in your hands now, Shiba Ichigo._

 _And choose the fate of our worlds!_

Ichigo's eyes returned to Aizen's pale, weary looking face and dark, oddly dispirited eyes.

"Sousuke," he said quietly, "are you telling me that after all of that manipulating, all that you said about filling that vacancy in the heavens, you, yourself, don't want to be king? Is that what you're really telling me?"

Aizen gave him a look of tired amusement.

"I am mortal by choice, powerless and having your child, Ichigo…me, the would be conqueror of Soul Society. I thought I was manipulating everyone and everything for my own benefit, but…in reality, I was blindly making the pathway for you to follow to the throne. I thought I was raising myself to be king, but instead I was raising you. My heart would burn against anyone else taking that place, but thinking of you set upon the throne gives me something I've not dared to feel in a very long time. It gives me peace."

Aizen drew in a long breath and exhaled slowly.

"So, what do you think?" he asked solemnly.

Ichigo started to answer, then looked up at the doorway to the pocket dimension they occupied as strong reiatsu began to resonate in the distance.

"What I think is that we'd better get to Kisuke. It looks like our enemies are on the hunt, and the last thing we want is to let them catch up with us."

He helped the pregnant Daishima heir to his feet and slipped a hand into his.

"We'll talk about things more when we're safe," he said in a low, stern voice, "I don't know if I can believe you, but there's a way to find out, and that's by going with you on the journey to gather the reiatsu you mentioned. I'll do this with you, and when it's done and I see what comes out of you after, I will decide what to believe. Now, come on. We need to get outta here now."

Aizen nodded and his head bowed as his reiatsu began to radiate around them. The doorway into the precipice world flew open in front of them and the two shuddered as their bodies softened and slowly took on their gelatinous primal form.

 _Ichigo_ , Aizen mused silently as the two began their flight to Karakura Town, _have you realized yet?_

 _This child, the royal heir also carries the blood of the Daishima line, so once he is born…_

… _I don't have to be kept alive…_

 _How long do you think our enemies will let me live, once the child is born?_

He shivered in surprise as Ichigo answered, although he was sure he hadn't meant to share the thought.

 _No one is going to hurt you._

 _I won't let them!_


	18. Remembering Us

**Chapter 18: Remembering Us**

Pale moonlight streamed in through an open window of the safe house that the fugitive royals had been brought to. It shined down on Aizen's gigai protected body, infusing him with a light that only looked warm. Inside his chest was an iciness that radiated the closeness of defeat and death, and his mind worked endlessly, considering how to thwart it.

 _The genius that he is, Kisuke was able to come up with these cover forms that will hide Ichigo's and my presence. But each time we reach the orb of one of the original lords of each realm, we will have to reveal ourselves as we take in the reiatsu. That does not even take into consideration what happens if our enemy figures out what we are doing, anticipates us and gets to a location ahead of us. I imagine that is where Kenpachi and Byakuya's demon forms come in. Odd protectors, to be sure, but they will be formidable._

 _Still, I do not like functioning within such uncertainty._

He realized suddenly that his hand had slipped down to rub the larger bump on his abdomen, and a soft glow radiated gently around the area. Closing his eyes, he felt the presence of the little transcendent soul he carried, then a little flutter teased his insides as he felt the heir's mind touch his.

 _Family._

 _That is what this soul and I are feeling now. I barely remember what having a family felt like, and this little soul has never felt it. While I had no family, it was easy to say that I could live without it, but being again in its presence…_

The door opened behind him and he felt Ichigo's slow approach. The younger man moved in behind him, following his gaze out the window as his strong and comfortingly warm arms wrapped around Aizen and held him tightly.

 _I never imagined being given the opportunity to feel this again. I didn't even want to feel it. Living after my family was taken from me, I realized the fragility of life, the vagaries of chance and the uncertainty of our fate. Even with history, prophecy and the strength of the rising king on our side, I do understand that we could fail. We could die. The worlds could fall._

 _What is this sensation in my soul that refuses to let me lose faith in us? I am not a man of faith, in any sense, except, perhaps, faith in one's dedicated power. Why do I believe in Ichigo? In myself, even in this weakened state? In us? The answer is not in logic or science. It is not in just reading the levels of power. It is not in the set of players._

He turned and looked quietly into Ichigo's radiant golden brown eyes.

 _Ah, it is here._

Ichigo's head tilted and his lips brushed against Sousuke's tentatively. Aizen froze, watching him closely as he paused, then tasted his pregnant partner's lips again.

"I wasn't sure if I should believe you before," Ichigo said quietly, "You've told so many lies to everyone. But it's like I can feel that this time, you are telling me the truth. And it's not just words in your mouth, it's truth in who we are, what we are, and what we are making together."

"Ichigo."

Ichigo's warm hand curved around Aizen's very slightly blushing cheek and the two men kissed again.

"I feel it deep down," Ichigo went on, "This was all going to happen, one way or another. It was always just a matter of time. But, even though we share a fate, there is something that we get to decide. See, we can be king and consort with or without loving each other. On the one hand, being king and consort is a solemn duty. On the other, it makes us a family. We get to decide what kind of family we are."

"And what is your choice?" Aizen asked, smirking.

"What's yours?" Ichigo countered, "And just know that you don't have to answer. Believe it or not, you've already told me the truth of what you want with me, with our kid."

Aizen gazed back at him wordlessly, holding perfectly still as Ichigo's hands began to undress him. Bit by bit, his clothing slid to the floor, until he stood bare, his pale body reflecting the moonlight, dark eyes reflecting an endless sea of stars and his impregnated form radiating with life.

"Let me tell you what I want," Ichigo's deep voice rumbled in his ear as the two embraced, "I want you like this, all of the secrets and lies stripped away…just you, Sousuke."

"You find this form…desirable, my lord?"

Aizen was sure he hadn't decided to address Ichigo using that title.

 _But it flowed out of my mouth so very easily. And as much as I would clench my teeth against having to submit to another soul that way, this one soul is the other part of me._

"Why'd you call me that?" Ichigo asked, "I never asked you to submit to me."

"No. And I never decided to be submissive. But, there is a truth between us that neither of us can deny. You are the rightful king, and I not only accept that, I feel the truth of it. You, and only you can command me. Only you could give me a family. Only you can protect that family. There is no dishonor in finally knowing and embracing that place that belongs to you. And there is no dishonor in me embracing my place at your side. Our royal souls formed the three worlds, Ichigo. You carried the power, and I the imagination and direction. One could exist without the other, but none of this place we created could exist without both of us."

Aizen's eyes closed for a moment, then opened again and fixed on Ichigo's.

"I once spoke dismissively of the need of living things to find a higher power. I made light of that need, because to me, it seemed like a lie. I sought after that higher force all of my life, and my anger, my violence, my betrayal of Soul Society all stemmed from the frustration of never finding that higher power. But, I needn't have been upset by that. I know that now. The reason I could not accept that need was because you and I are already at the top, Ichigo. There is no power stronger than us. We have to be that power for…everyone else. I sought to kill the king, but the truth was, I was only clearing the path for you…for us. There is such peace in finally understanding why I was different, and that I was never alone. Even before I made you, you were inside me, Ichigo. One way or another, I was going to bring you to life. Perhaps you don't approve of the way I did that, but it is done now, and I feel such peace in that as I have not felt ever before."

"I'm at peace with it too," Ichigo said, brushing his cheek against Sousuke's, then seeking his mouth for a longer, deeper kiss, "It's not your words that made me believe. It's more than that. It's something I feel inside. I feel the truth just looking at you."

Sousuke watched in silence as the rightful king of the three worlds very slowly dropped to his knees, looking up at his pregnant consort's naked form. He laid warm hands on Aizen's rounded belly and leaned forward to kiss the area tenderly, then he came back to his feet and slipped an arm around the elder man, guiding him in slow steps to the bed, then pausing and watching as Sousuke's hands freed him of his clothing. The two embraced again, kissing more hungrily, in an exchange that began with them standing beside the bed and ended with them falling down and wrapping tightly around each other.

 _I did not need to find a higher power. I only needed to find the other half of my transcendent soul._

He spread his thighs easily, readily accepting the tender invasion of Ichigo's rough fingers.

 _We are, in truth, equal partners in having made our worlds, each bringing something the other lacked, each sharing his gift._

He slid onto Ichigo's lap, the two kissing harder as Ichigo's fingers slowly prepared his body to accept the king's love.

 _It is not submission to a man, it is submission to the truth of our connection. There would be no worlds without that. It is something to be celebrated as we celebrate it now. It is something sacred._

He made a low, erotic sound of surrender as Ichigo made his entry, then paused to look into his eyes again.

"I love you, Sousuke."

Sousuke froze, staring back at him wordlessly.

"Does that surprise you?" Ichigo chuckled, "I guess I understand. I've been critical of you. I've been suspicious of your motives. But right now, it feels like there's nothing more true than this. What you said before, about me being the power and you the imagination…I can see that. I can believe it. What I didn't like about you was all of the lies and deceptions. Now that I see through the illusions around you, I like what I see, Sousuke. You can be evil, but you can't lie about this. You can't deny it. You're not even trying to deceive me about it. And that…seeing you in the light and without the illusions, that I can love."

He should have been mortified at the feeling of a tear escaping onto his face, but he barely noticed it as Ichigo's lips touched his and the two began to move together.

 _I never imagined letting someone do this to my body. My illusions protected me from letting anyone too close. I knew the exact distance to keep. I learned how to anticipate everyone…but this one person confounded me. And he found his way inside, and filled me with this fate that I dreamed of alone, but had not the power to bring to life. And in the way of our ancestors, we met to fulfill that dream I saw, but could not make alone. I used to think that things like trust and dependence were things that only indicated weakness. Here, in us, I see they help us rise above our individual weaknesses._

"I love you too, Ichigo."

"I know."

"You do?" Aizen mused, narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah," Ichigo chuckled, wrapping his hands around Sousuke's bottom and encouraging him in his more urgent motions, "I know I've never seen you act like you are. I've never seen you hold onto anyone, trust anyone, depend on anyone."

"No, you haven't."

"Why me?"

Aizen's brown eyes blinked slowly.

"Because. You. Are. My. King."

The words lit a fire in the younger man's eyes and he brought Sousuke down onto his back, invading in deep, fast thrusts that stole his breath away entirely. Loud moans escaped him as he welcomed each powerful collision until they started a thrilling vibration that swiftly consumed every inch of him, sweeping him up and throwing both men into a quaking release. He was blinded for a moment by an eruption of stars in front of his eyes, and he went still beneath Ichigo, panting hard and barely holding onto his senses. Ichigo collapsed onto his shoulder, nuzzling his cheek affectionately.

"And you're the one who gives my power a form and a reason," the younger man said finally, "I believe that now."

"That's good," Sousuke sighed sleepily, "Now, we must just stay alive long enough to make our claim on the throne."

"You think I'm gonna let us die now?" Ichigo snickered, lacing their fingers together, "No way. We're gonna be okay, I promise."

"You can't make a promise like that," Aizen said skeptically.

"Of course I can," Ichigo said smirking, "I'm the king."

"You should be careful," Sousuke warned him, "Your cockiness will be our undoing."

He sucked in a surprised breath as Ichigo pushed him down on his hands and knees, commencing a fresh invasion from behind.

"You wanna see my cockiness? No problem!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya stood in the gardens outside the safe house, his dark steel eyes focused on the night sky and his heart in turmoil.

 _Damn it, I can feel it! Just there, beneath the surface of my skin, I feel that feral, chaotic power. Kenpachi's demon power dominates the demon in me, suppressing it so that I can stay in control. But, slip for just a moment, and it could be unleashed._

He shivered as he remembered just a few moments of what it had felt like, being in the grip of that deadly, hateful force.

 _It was like suffering a maelstrom of ice and fire, shattering sound and blinding light. The pain was so fierce, I felt desperate to end it. And this is the state that a demon lives in. Its only source of comfort is in consuming balanced souls. It seeks them endlessly and destroys without care, just desperately seeking an end to the agony it is to only live in that state._

"You're thinking too much again," Kenpachi's voice rumbled in his ear.

The man's warm breath left a flush on Byakuya's face and throat.

"It is better than not having the capacity to think at all, beast," he teased, stealing a glance at the wilder man out of the corner of one grey eye.

The words lacked the condescending tone and angry feel that they would have had before.

 _If not for this beast, I would be in that horror of a state I was in before. Kenpachi is a monster, but now I am also._

He turned his head slightly, inviting the other man to nuzzle his cheek. Kenpachi accepted the unspoken offer with a little chuckle, then he coaxed Byakuya into a longer, more passionate kiss.

"C'mon. Kuri and your cousin are here now to stand guard."

"How is Tetsuya?"

Kenpachi grinned.

"Seems happy. Pregnant."

Byakuya rolled his eyes and sighed.

"I should not be surprised, I suppose."

"Well, unlike you and me, they're married, so them having a kid on the way is kinda expected, right?"

"Except that the premise for their marriage was a lie," Byakuya said, frowning.

Kenpachi shrugged.

"They're okay. They like each other. They're making it work. Should it matter how they got together, if in the end, they end up loving each other anyway?" he asked, matter-of-factly.

Byakuya gave him a stymied look.

"I want to say that it matters, but having handed off more than a few relatives into marriages to convenience, and for purely political reasons, it would be hypocritical of me to complain about the two of them."

"Hey, it was a good thing that Kuri stepped up and told that lie to protect Tetsuya from a much worse fate, right?"

"Yes," Byakuya said stiffly.

"And he risked himself to protect your cousin from that attempt on his life. The two have been through shit together, like you and I have. They're growing closer. You can see it if you just watch them a little."

Byakuya gave Kenpachi a curious look.

"What?"

"You do that a lot, don't you? Watch people closely?"

Kenpachi grinned.

"Comes from needing to know people to keep from being killed by them in the low Rukongai. It's a survival skill. You should try it. You learn a lot that way."

"I am sure one would," Byakuya said with grudging approval.

"We'll try that together sometime," the bigger man chuckled, curling an arm around Byakuya and kissing him on the cheek, "Now, what say we go in and curl up in bed together?"

"Are you trying to bring out my inner demon?" the noble hissed softly, his eyes glowing red for a moment.

"I'll bring out mine if you'll bring out yours," Kenpachi snickered, "I kinda like your more wicked side. Violence and sex all rolled into one. I like it a lot."

"You are deranged."

"I'm part demon and, right now, so are you," Kenpachi reminded him.

"That had not escaped me," Byakuya answered dryly.

Kenpachi let out a little growl that, for some reason, seemed to resonate powerfully in Byakuya's hungry loins.

"Kenpachi…"

"C'mon, Beautiful," the bigger man beckoned him, "I'll let you set a barrier for us, so we don't bring down the cottage or give ourselves away. I just wanna be with you. That's not a bad thing, right?"

"No," Byakuya answered, blinking in surprise at how easy the admission was, "I desire you also…although I do try to resist."

"Why resist?" Kenpachi laughed, tugging him towards the bedroom, "Even primitive desires have their place, don't they?"

"You know," Byakuya said in a confused tone, "that makes a surprisingly large amount of sense."

"Don't worry. I won't let it go to my head," Kenpachi laughed, "My head's a little giddy right now anyway, thinking about what I wanna do to that pretty little body of yours when we get inside."

"It must be the demon within me, because it seems I have an equal desire to have my body plundered by you. Just…remember that eventually Ichigo will become king and I will be cured."

"Damn," Kenpachi sighed, "then I'll just have to get all my fucks out before then."

"Kenpachi?"

"Hmm?"

"Shut up and make love to me."

"You've got it…"

"Don't even…"

" _Lover_."


End file.
